


Meeting of the Minds

by LizzeXX



Series: The Heart of Time Saga [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Developing Relationship, Drama, Embedded Images, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, Gallifrey, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Connections, Mickey Smith is not the Tin Dog, Nella - Freeform, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pete's World, Psychic Abilities, Recovery, Romance, Rose gains a sister, SO MUCH FLUFF, Series 2 Rewrite, Seriously I've probably given myself diabetes level fluff, Super sweet Time Lady, The Doctor is not Alone, The Heart of Time Saga, The Last Great Time War, Thella - Freeform, Theta/Nella - Freeform, Time Lord Mating Process, Time Travel, Time Vortex, Torchwood - Freeform, Vortex Powers, doctor who - Freeform, space travel, time lady - Freeform, visionary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 220,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzeXX/pseuds/LizzeXX
Summary: The Time Lady Angel has saved the Bad Wolf, but the Doctor regenerated as a result. The new Doctor has found a new strength within him to express the feelings stirring in his hearts, his love, while Angel finds her abilities growing stronger. How will the Time Lords survive the Mating process when Torchwood lurks in the shadows?10/OCTime Lady
Relationships: Mickey Smith/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Rose Tyler, The Doctor/The Angel, Thella - Relationship, Theta/Nella
Series: The Heart of Time Saga [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086098
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	1. A New Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> I have been plagiarized many times since I began writing fanfiction :( So please, do not copy my work onto other sites. And if you see my work, whether in full or tweaked or mish-mashed into other people's works, reach out to me on tumblr (LizzeXX) and let me know so I can look into it, post evidence on my tumblr's 'Plagiarizers' page, and ask for help reporting when it happens :(
> 
> I have seen it all by now. From people flat out copying everything and just pasting it as is, to changing the OC's name or from 3rd to 1st person, to alternating parts of their own work with putting in parts of mine, to starting off originally and then transitioning to my work, to using Proffy for 1 story then switching to Evy in their next, to people literally taking chunks from 5 different series and piecing it together into a story, so please, PLEASE, let me know if you see it happening. I am nervous enough posting this on AO3 or any other site, it is reassuring to me if people can keep an eye out and just let me know if you see anything happening :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Welcome to the second installment of my Heart of Time Saga, Meeting of the Minds. I would recommend for new readers to check out the first story, A Treasured Discovery, in order to fully understand who my OC/Time Lady, Angel, is and the way her relationship with the Doctor has built up to the point it will be in for this story. This will be a Doctor/OC series featuring my OC, The Angel (true name to be revealed sooner than you think), a Time Lady with a very special gift. She is a tall woman with blonde hair that she wears clipped back in a small twist with hair falling over it to hide the clip. She has dark green eyes with flecks of gold in them and tends to wear tan pants, white shoes, a white tank top and a lacy TARDIS blue crocheted duster over it. She's not very 'hip' to how humans interact as, from my first story, she had been locked away for 50 years with minimal contact/interaction, but it tends to add a very funny/light/innocent quality to her questions and interpretations of situations which amuses the Doctor to no end. I picture her to look something like Laura Vandervoort but with green eyes and slightly less defined cheekbones :) Her theme song is Fantastic Voyage by Future World Music.
> 
> Every chapter (except 'mini-sode' chapters) will be at the very least 3,000 words. Every episode will be broken up into three chapters with a special title for each. The holiday specials will be broken up into 5 chapters though since they are quite a bit longer. I will be posting one story for the series every Sunday so I can try to catch up with the 90+ stories I have on my Fanfiction.net profile faster. This story DOES have a spin-off and an AU series going, but they will only be posted on FF.net and not here, so head over to that site if you'd like to check it out ;) 
> 
> ~8~ is a scene break
> 
> Disclaimer 1: I do not own Doctor Who...otherwise I'd be a writer for the show and the Doctor wouldn't have been 'the last' for all that time (how could you torture him like that you evil, evil writers?!).
> 
> Disclaimer 2: My OC Angel is in no way associated with any other stories by other authors that also feature a Time Lady named The Angel.
> 
> Enjoy!

The Doctor grinned at Rose and Angel before dashing to the console and flicking a few switches, checking the monitor. Angel glanced at Rose a moment before cautiously making her way to the console to help him, "6pm..." he muttered, turning a knob, "Tuesday...October...5006...on the way to Barcelona!" he straightened up and grinned, very pleased, as he looked over, Rose by the Y-beam and Angel at the side of the console, "Now then...what do I look like?" he only gave Rose a second before holding up a hand, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Don't tell me."

"Two legs," Angel said softly and he looked at her, grinning as she didn't give him any specifics, "Two arms…"

He beamed and reached out, taking her hand, "Two hands..." he laughed, before frowning and twisting his one wrist, feeling it with his other hand, though he still held her hand with the other, "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle…" before letting go as his hands flew to his head, his eyes wide, "HAIR! I'm not bald!" he ran his hands though his hair with glee, "Oh, oh! _Big_ hair! Feel that!" he reached out again and took Angel's hands, putting them in his hair for her to run her fingers through with a little laugh. His hands trailed down to the sides of his head, his thumbs feeling there while his fingertips remained on the back of Angel's hands, "Sideburns, I've got sideburns!" he was delighted, "Or really _bad_ skin…"

"It's sideburns," Angel reassured him with a small smile, pulling her hands away.

"Little bit thinner…" he remarked, slapping his stomach, "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it," he gasped, shifting, feeling something, "I...have got...a mole," he breathed, sounding for all the world as though he'd just made a remarkable discovery, he looked at Angel, "I can feel it…"

Angel however, glanced at Rose, who was breathing quite heavily, looking scared of the new Doctor before her, though he didn't notice, his attention on her.

"Between my shoulder blades," he reached out and took Angel's hand again, turning and twisting his arms to place her hand where the mole on his back was, though she couldn't feel it through his leather coat, "There's a mole," he rotated his shoulder, "That's alright. Love the mole!" he turned to Rose finally, "Go on then, tell me," he stood straight as Angel walked back to Rose's side, waiting for an assessment from her, "What do you think?"

"Who are you?" Rose asked him quietly, very shy and scared.

The Doctor frowned, almost confused as to why she didn't recognize him, "I'm the Doctor."

She shook her head, "No...where is he? Where's the Doctor?" her voice rose, "What have you _done_ to him?!"

He blinked, "You saw me, I…I changed..." he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "...right in front of you."

"I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a...a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something."

The Doctor could only stare at her, at a loss, before glancing at Angel, who was looking at him as she always had, a warmth in her eyes and a curiosity as to what sort of man this new Doctor was. He couldn't help the small shiver that raced down his spine when he saw her beautiful green eyes gazing over him, feeling a heat strike up in his neck, threatening to make its way to his cheeks.

Luckily he was distracted from that when Rose stepped forward and pushed his chest, "You're not fooling _me_ ," he rocked back on his heels a bit, "I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes...Gelth..." her gaze darkened, " _Slitheen_..."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and turned to Angel, incredulous.

"Oh my God," Rose gasped, "Are you a Slitheen?"

"He's not Slitheen, Rose," Angel assured her calmly, "From what I've seen they're rather tubby and he's far too thin to fit one in him."

Rose shook her head, starting to shout, "Send him back. I'm warning you, send the Doctor back _right now_!"

"Rose, it's _me_ ," the Doctor said softly, trying not to startle her. He leaned forward but she stepped back, "Honestly, it's me."

Rose could only stare at him, breathing heavily.

"He was dying Rose," Angel whispered, reminding her, as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she always hated when humans got upset.

At first she wasn't sure why Rose was making such a big deal out of the regeneration, it was such a part of Time Lord culture that she had to remind herself Rose was _human_ , she had no idea what was going on and the Doctor hadn't exactly been able to explain it thoroughly before it had happened. She swallowed hard, she hadn't gotten to say something very important to him either in all the chaos of the Daleks and taking in the Vortex and him regenerating. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell him what she'd realized earlier, that she loved him. Yes, it was still the Doctor, just with a new face, new personality, but...she'd wanted to at least tell HIM before he changed into _him_. She...she didn't want him to think she'd started to love him _because_ he changed but _before_ he had.

"To save our lives," she shook herself from her thoughts, she would tell him soon, she promised herself that, but right now Rose was terrified and quite possibly in shock, "Time Lords change our bodies. Every single cell, but...it's still him. It's still _the Doctor_."

"He _can't_ be," Rose whispered to her, though her eyes remained on the Doctor.

Angel looked at him, stepping away from Rose, "Show her," she whispered to him as she moved over to the console.

He nodded, taking a few steps closer, to stare Rose in the eye, "The very first word I ever said to you, trapped in that cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies...oh..." he looked away in reminiscence a moment, "...such a long time ago. I took your hand..." he reached out and took her hand, "I said one word...just _one word_ , I said, 'run.'"

Rose looked at him, her eyes filling with tears, as she whispered, "Doctor?"

He grinned widely, "Hello!"

Rose sighed and pulled away, stumbling back as everything hit her at once.

The Doctor, however, just ran back to the console, flicking switches as he moved behind it, "And we never stopped, did we? All across the Universe. Running, running, running...dancing too!" he turned to Angel, grabbing her hand, pulling her close into a little dance with a wide smile before spinning her out in a circle, "Oh! And that one time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives," he started to hop up and down madly, taking Angel with him as he had yet to let go of her hands, as Rose just watched them. He glanced at her, "Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah?! Hop? With the..." he slowly stopped, letting go of Angel's hands, seeing Rose still just staring, "Rose...no?"

"Can you change back?" Rose asked him quietly.

He frowned, "Do you _want_ me to?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," he looked down.

" _Can_ you?"

Angel reached out and took his hand this time, "No," she answered for him.

He looked at her with a small smile, squeezing her hand back as he gazed softly at her for her support, before turning to Rose, "Do you want to leave?"

"Do _you_ want me to leave?!" she asked, shocked.

"No!" he said quickly, "But...your choice...if you want to go home..."

Rose just looked at him, upset, whether from his question or what happened he didn't know.

He nodded and stepped away from Angel, back to the console, "Cancel Barcelona."

"Doctor…" Angel began, walking to his side, she was getting a _terrible_ knot in her stomach. Either something was wrong or something bad was going to happen…or both…

He just continued on, "Change to...London, the Powell Estate, ah let's say the 24th of December," he glanced at Rose, "Consider it a Christmas present!"

"Doctor…"

Rose edge closer as he flicked a switch.

"There," he stepped back, his arms tucked under his armpits, almost defensive.

Rose glanced at him, then the console as the TARDIS shuddered, "I'm going home?"

"Up to you. Back to your mum...it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast…no, _Christmas_! Turkey! Although, having met your mother, nut loaf would be more appropriate," Rose looked down, trying to hide a smile, "Was that a smile?"

"No."

"That was a smile..." he said knowingly.

"No it wasn't."

"You smiled..." he teased.

"No I didn't."

"Oh, come on, all I did was _change_ , I didn't…"

"Doctor!" Angel finally cut in, clearly this one was quite the talker as well.

He looked at her quickly, seeing the tense look on her face, "What is it?" he frowned, worried.

"Something's wrong…" she replied, shaking her head, trying to put words to it, "Something's _going_ wrong."

"Wha…" he began, when he suddenly gagged, the TARDIS shuddering.

Angel quickly reached out and grabbed him.

"What is it?" Rose looked between the two, alarmed.

The Doctor could only gag again, more violently, as Angel tried to help him, the poor man retching terribly, "Uh oh," he muttered.

"Is he alright?" Rose asked, edging closer as Angel helped him up. An orange burst of energy breezed out of his mouth, "What's that?"

"What's gone wrong," he moaned, "The change is going a bit wrong and all," he choked again, nearly falling to his knees had Angel not caught him, his face contorting in pain.

"Look...maybe we should go back," Rose tried, "Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do."

"Gah, he's busy!" the Doctor waved her off, jolting a bit at the thought of Jack, the handsome Time Agent, being back with them, with _Angel_ , "He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!"

"Doctor please," Angel whispered, trying to lead him to the captain's chair, "Sit…"

He seemed about to move, when a lever caught his eye, "I haven't used this one in years!" he flicked it and the TARDIS shuddered violently, nearly knocking them all off their feet.

"What're you doing?!" Rose shouted.

"Putting on a bit of speed!" the Doctor called, sounding almost crazed, "That's it!" he pushed away from Angel and moved around the console, turning knobs as Rose tried to hold on, the box shaking around them.

"Doctor!" Angel yelled, rushing over, trying to stop him.

"My beautiful ship!" he was too fast, running around flicking every sort of switch and knob and button he could find, just bursting with energy he didn't know what to do with, he needed an outlet, he needed an adventure, "Come on, faster! That's a girl!" Rose looked terrified as his voice turned almost violent, "Faster! Wanna to break the time limit?!"

"Stop it!" Rose snapped, angry, scared, as Angel struggled to alter what he'd done.

"Ah, don't be so dull, let's have a bit of fun! Let's _rip_ through that Vortex!" he reached for a button when Angel's hand landed on his, holding it lightly, stopping him. He looked at her, catching her beautiful green eyes, feeling himself calm as he stared into them, "The _regeneration's_ going wrong," he breathed, actually starting to sound scared of himself, "I can't stop myself…" he grimaced in pain, "Ah, my head..." before violently springing up, crazed once more, "Faster! Let's open those engines!"

An alarm started to ring as Rose looked up, "What's that?"

The Doctor crouched down beside her, grinning madly, "We're gonna crash land!" he laughed manically as Angel ran around the console, pulling levers and typing commands, seeing him having stopped for now.

"Well then, do something!" Rose shouted.

"I'm trying!" Angel called back, not sure if Rose was yelling at her or the Doctor.

"Too late!" the Doctor laughed, "Out of control!" he ran around the console back to Angel's side, giggling, absently putting an arm around her waist for a moment, "Oh, I _love_ it! Hot dawg!" he hopped up excitedly as she dashed around.

"You're gonna _kill_ us!" Rose screamed.

"Hang on!" Angel called, pulling a lever, trying in vain to control the TARDIS, "Here we go!"

"Christmas Eve!" the Doctor cheered as the TARDIS fell out of the Vortex and over the Powell Estate…

To be continued…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really a great big hint of things to come especially in terms of the Doctor and Angel :) 
> 
> So sad for the next few chapters though. We all know how Rose reacted to the Doctor's regeneration, how upset she got when she was blaming herself...how will she be now that SHE wasn't the reason for it? Poor Angel...
> 
> So since this is the first 'episode' of the story so I'm going to post my 'Pyramid' here ^-^ Just to refresh what that is, it's the 3 episodes I'm super-excited about because I think something happens in them that is important to Angel's story/her relationship with the Doctor. The 2, is my most looked forward to 2-parter episode either because something happens in it or it's just my favorite episodes lol. And the 1 is the episode that I liked least and probably struggled with so if it's really bad, that's why. Now to get on with it lol:
> 
> 3...Girl in the Fireplace, Idiot's Lantern, Rise of the Cybermen.  
> 2...The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit  
> 1...Love & Monsters (gotta hate those Doctor-lite episodes, but each chapter WILL have a scene of the trio in it)


	2. The Christmas Invasion: The Pilot Fish

Jackie picked up a red bauble and hung it on her white Christmas tree, standing in the corner of the room. She picked up two presents, ready to put them under the tree when the label of one caught her eye. She sat down slowly, looking at it, 'To Rose. Merry Christmas. Lots of love, Mum x.'

She sighed.

~8~

The radio in the garage was blaring out 'Merry Christmas' when Mickey suddenly paused, listening, "Hey, turn that down. Hey, Stevo, turn that off! Turn it off!"

With the radio off he could clearly hear the sound of the TARDIS engines.

He dashed off.

~8~

Jackie hung some Christmas cards on a length of string on the wall, stopping mid-move and turned around, hearing the engines.

"Rose!" she dashed out of the apartment and down to a row of flats, seeing Mickey on the other end. They ran towards each other, "Mickey!"

"Jackie, it's the TARDIS!" Mickey shouted as they met in the middle.

"I know! I know, I heard it! She's alive, Mickey! I said so, didn't I? She's alive!"

"Shush! Shut up a minute!"

They looked around frantically, "Well, where is it then?"

Suddenly the TARDIS appeared out of thin air about 20 feet above their heads, crashing against buildings as it spun, till it fell towards the Earth. Jackie screamed and grabbed Mickey as it finally skid to a halt, smashing into a post van and knocking over some dustbins on the way.

The Doctor threw the doors open and peered out with his mouth wide open, "Here we are, then! London! Earth! The Solar System! We did it Angel!" he called back before stumbling out of the TARDIS, gazing at the flats, noticing Jackie and Mickey, "Jackie! Mickey! Blimey! No, no, no, no, hold on," he stumbled back a few steps, "Wait there, I've got something to say. There was something I had to tell you. Something important, what was it? No, hold on, hold on…" he walked over to them, putting his hands on their shoulders, thinking hard, "Hold on, shush, shush, shush, shush...OH!" they jumped at his outburst, "I know!" he looked at them, panting and beaming, "Merry Christmas!"

Just then the doors of the TARDIS opened and Angel ran out, catching the Doctor just before he collapsed, Mickey helping her support his weight as Rose stepped out, looking down at him, "What happened?" Rose asked, "Is he alright?"

"I don't know, he just keeled over!" Mickey said.

"He's asleep," Angel replied gently, checking the Doctor over.

"But who is he? Where's the Doctor?"

"That's him," Rose nodded at the man, "Right in front of you. That's the Doctor."

"What d'you mean, 'that's the Doctor?'" Jackie looked up, confused, "Doctor who?"

~8~

The Doctor was tucked away in bed, now dressed in a pair of blue striped pajamas as Rose sat on the bed near the door, Angel on the other side of him, when Jackie entered with a stethoscope, "Here we go," she handed it to Rose, "Tina the cleaner's got this lodger, medical student. And she was fast asleep, so I just took it," Rose put it in her ears, "Though, I still say we should take him to hospital."

"We can't," Rose took the scope off, "They'd lock him up. They'd dissect him."

"Just a bottle of his blood would change the future of the Human Race," Angel remarked softly, her gaze on the Doctor, "One single cell could have thousands of empires fighting wars over it…"

Jackie's mouth fell open at that, about to ask the woman something, when Rose cut in, "No! Shush!" Jackie closed her mouth as Rose put the stethoscope in her ears and placed it on the Doctor's chest, checking both sides, "Both working."

"What d'you mean 'both?'" Jackie frowned.

"We have two hearts," Angel explained.

"'We?'" Jackie looked at her.

"Time Lords," Angel replied, still not taking her eyes off the Doctor, "I'm Angel. Nice to finally meet you Jackie."

Jackie nodded, realizing this must be the girl Rose and Mickey had told her about, the other alien, before her words caught up with her. She lifted an eyebrow and looked at Rose, "Anything else they've got two of?"

"Arms," Angel answered distractedly, "Legs, eyes, ears, hands, feet, nostrils..."

Rose just sighed, shaking her head, finding herself less amused at Angel's answer than she would have been, her stomach twisting in knots the longer she was around the girl. She got up and headed for the door, "Leave 'em alone," she called to her mother, walking out, leaving Jackie to peer at Angel and the Doctor before following her.

Angel watched as the Doctor released a wisp of orange regeneration energy, "Just rest up," she whispered to him, tugging the blanket up higher, wanting...no, needing...him to get better as soon as he could.

She blinked, feeling tear threatening to form in her eyes at everything that had happened, at the state he was in...because of her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, reaching out to place a hand on his, "I'm so, _so_ sorry Doctor," she added, her voice catching in her throat, "Please be alright," she swallowed hard, "Please..."

She didn't know if he could hear her, but she knew what he'd say if he could. That it wasn't her fault.

And she knew, for once, he'd be completely wrong.

She took a breath, willing the tears back, she had to be strong right now. The Doctor would need her to be.

~8~

Rose opened the fridge and picked up a pork pie as Jackie stood behind her, "How can he go changing his face?" her mother asked as she shut the fridge, "Is that a different face or is he a different person?"

"How should I know?!" Rose yelled, before pausing, guilty, "Sorry," Jackie nodded, "The thing is...it was supposed to be _me_ ," Rose said, her eyes filling with tears, "Angel said...she said that if _I_ used the Vortex it would destroy him but it happened anyway…" she swallowed hard, " _I_ was the one who was supposed to…"

She looked away at the thought she might have kissed the Doctor. She was so confused about her feelings, between him, between Mickey. She didn't think she felt _that way_ about the Doctor, he certainly hadn't given much indication that he felt _that way_ about her either, but...he was just _so amazing_ that she'd thought maybe, just maybe, one kiss with him would help her sort her feelings, decide if what she was feeling was _love_ or just another form of it…and even _that_ had been snatched away from her.

"Sounds to me like she was trying to avoid this mess sweetheart," Jackie said gently, stepping forward and wiping Rose's tears away, "She couldn't have known it would happen either way."

Rose nodded, smiling a bit, not wanting to talk about it any longer. To be honest, the more she thought about the Doctor, why he was hurt, and what had happened, the angrier she felt towards Angel for being the cause of it. And that wouldn't do, she _knew_ her mother was right, Angel had tried to stop it, but...it had just...happened anyway.

"The big question is..." she nudged her mother, "Where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?"

Jackie walked off, "Howard's been staying over."

"What, Howard from the market? How long's that been going on?"

"A month or so. First of all, he starts delivering to the door and I thought, 'that's a bit odd.' Next thing you know, it's a bag of oranges…"

Rose glanced over, hearing a familiar voice on the TV that was playing in the next room, "Is that Harriet Jones?!" she made her way into the sitting room.

"Oh, never mind _me_..." Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Why's she on the telly?"

"She's Prime Minister now. I'm eighteen quid a week better off," Rose smiled, "They're calling it 'Britain's Golden Age.' Keep on saying 'my Rose has met her.'"

"Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones..."

"Harriet Jones," a man on the telly asked, "What about those calling the Guinevere One Space Probe a waste of money?"

"Now, that's where you're wrong," Harriet replied, "I completely disagree if you don't mind," Rose laughed, "The Guinevere One Space Probe represents this country's limitless ambition. British workmanship sailing up there among the stars."

"This is the spirit of Christmas," another man beside Harriet added, "Birth and rejoicing, and the dawn of a new age, and that is what we're achieving fifteen million miles away. Our very own miracle."

An image of the probe appeared, the newsreader reporting, "The unmanned probe Guinevere One is about to make its final descent. Photographs of the Martian landscape should be received by midnight tonight."

~8~

Rose and Mickey walked down the street crowded with Christmas shoppers together, "So, er, what d'you need?" Mickey asked, "Twenty quid?"

"Do you mind?" she asked, taking it, "I'll pay you back."

"Call it a Christmas present," Mickey laughed.

"God, I'm all out of synch. You just...forget about Christmas and things in the TARDIS. They don't exist. You get sort of...timeless."

"Oh, yeah, that's fascinating, 'cos I _love_ hearing stories about the TARDIS," he remarked dryly, "Oh, go on Rose, tell us another one 'cos I…wow, I could listen to it _all day_. TARDIS this, TARDIS that..."

She smiled, "Shut up!"

"Oh! One time, in a big yellow garden, full of balloons."

"I'm not like that!"

"Oh, you _so_ are."

"Hmm, must drive you mad. I'm surprised you don't give up on me."

"Oh, that's the thing, isn't it? You can rely on me. I don't go changing my face."

"Yeah…" she nodded slowly, "What if he's dying?"

"Ok…" Mickey stopped.

"Sorry!"

He took her hands in his own, "Just let it be Christmas! Could you do that? Just for a bit. You and me, and Christmas. No...no Doctor, no Angel, no...no bog-monsters...no life or death."

"Ok," she nodded.

"Promise?"

"Yes!"

"Good," he smiled, putting his arm around her, but even _he_ had to add, "And besides Angel wouldn't let him die. She's watching him, like his guardian angel or something, making sure he's ok."

And he could tell, it just seemed like the sort of thing the woman would do. She'd watched out for him when Margaret had been loose, making sure he'd be alright, why wouldn't it be the same for the Doctor?

Rose looked down at that, somewhere in her gut, try as she might not to, she just couldn't help but blame Angel for all this.

"Right!" he continued, "What're you gonna get for your mum?" he let go of her and started walking on, Rose looking behind her, distracted, "I'm round there all the time now, you know. She does my dinner on a Sunday...talks about you all afternoon, yap yap yap yap yap. Is that how it is in the TARDIS with the Doctor? I bet it is. No idea how you and Angel bear it. Mind you, do you think I should pick up something for her? Angel, I mean. Like a little gift. She seems sort of, I dunno, sad, might cheer her up a bit. It's Christmas after all..."

Any other time Rose would probably have smiled at how Mickey couldn't seem to stop talking about Angel, much like she had a hard time _not_ talking about the Doctor, but right now...her focus was on a trio of brass band masked Santas playing 'Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy.' She frowned as something struck her.

Just before she and Mickey had left, she'd stopped to check on the Doctor, Mickey wanting to invite Angel along as well. Angel had simply shaken her head, her focus still on the Doctor as she sat at his side, holding his hand, but she _did_ have something else to add. She'd told them to be careful, that they wouldn't find joy or comfort out there…now, as she watched the players, she couldn't help the feeling of unease, especially when they lowered their trumpets, holding them like weapons...moments before flames shot out of them.

People started screaming and running around as the Santas blasted all around them.

"It's us!" Rose shouted as she and Mickey hid behind a booth, "They're after us!"

The Santas blasted at their booth as Rose screamed. They turned and ran, the Santas pursuing them until one blast caught a large Christmas tree instead and it fell on top of it, distracting the others enough for the duo to race down the street.

"What's going on?" Mickey yelled, frantic, "What've we done? Why are they after us?"

"Taxi!" Rose called, getting one to stop for them to get in, "They're after the Doctor."

"I can't even go _shopping_ with you. We get attacked by a brass band," the taxi drove off as Rose pulled out her mobile, "Who're you phoning?"

"My mum," she said, putting her phone to her ear, listening to it ring and go busy, her mother on the phone with someone, probably just yapping about nothing, "Mum, get off the phone!"

Police sirens rang in the background as Mickey glanced back over his shoulder, "Who were...those Santa things?"

"I dunno. But think about it, they were after us. What's important about us? Well, nothing. Except the one thing we've got tucked up in bed with another watching him. The Doctor and Angel."

~8~

Jackie wandered into the Doctor's room with a cup of tea, handing it to Angel as she smiled her thanks to the woman who was still on the phone, "Oh, no. Don't come round darling. No, flat's all topsy turvy," she nodded a 'welcome' back to Angel and turned to leave, "Yeah, she just barges in and litters the place. Yeah, no…I'll come round and see you on Boxing Day…"

Angel turned to the Doctor just as another burst of energy escaped him. She quickly put the cup of tea aside, it was still too hot for her to use it, and moved to open the window. There hadn't been much testing on Gallifrey of what residual regeneration energy could do to other species, other than power a battery, but she didn't want to take the chance on Jackie.

That woman was so lovely, she didn't know why the Doctor complained about her so much.

~8~

The taxi pulled up and Rose and Mickey jumped out, running towards the flats, bursting in to see Jackie was, in fact, yapping away on the phone, "So, save us a chipolata..."

"Get off the phone!" Rose yelled.

"It's only Bev!" Jackie rolled her eyes at Rose, "She says hello."

Rose took the phone from her, "Bev? Yeah, look, it'll have to wait," and then hung up, "Right, it's not safe, we've gotta get out…where can we go?"

"My mate Stan, he'll put us up," Mickey replied.

"That's only two streets away," Rose shook her head and turned to her mum, "What about Mo? Where's she living now?"

"I dunno!" Jackie frowned, "Peak District!"

"Oh, we'll go to Cousin Mo's then."

"It's Christmas Eve! We're not going anywhere! What're you babbling about?"

"Mum…" Rose stopped suddenly, noticing the _green_ tree in the corner of the room, "Where'd you get that tree? That's a new tree. Where'd you get it?"

"Well, I thought it was you!"

"How can it be _me_?"

"Well, you went shopping, there was a ring at the door, and there it was! That girl back there though, she said something about it being too green, that it wanted red. Said I shouldn't bring it in…"

"And you didn't _listen_ to her?" Rose gaped. The Doctor had told her and Jack about Angel's feelings and sensations on things. If she _literally_ said to _not_ bring it in, it _shouldn't_ be brought in.

"I thought she was being daft or something. She talks the oddest way. Is she alright in the head?"

Rose just pulled her mother behind her as the tree lit up, "Oh, you've gotta be _kidding_ me…"

The tree started to spin, slowly at first, then very fast. Jackie screamed as 'Jingle Bells' started to play as well, the tree moving towards them, turning the coffee table into bits of wood in mere moments.

"Go, go, go!" Mickey shouted, grabbing a chair and holding it in front of him to protect them as they ran past, "Get out!"

"We've got to save the Doctor!" Rose yelled.

"What're you doing?!" Jackie ran after her.

"What's going on?" Angel called, running to the doorway of the Doctor's room to look out.

"Mickey!" Jackie shouted as the tree tore at the legs of the chair, "Leave it! Get out! Get out!"

"Mickey! Get out of there!"

He gave up and ran back to the room, slamming the door shut, listening to the tree smash through the hallway. He and Jackie turned and pushed a wardrobe in front of the door as Rose ran to the Doctor's side, "Doctor, wake up!" she shook him.

"Rose!" Angel called, needing to stop her from waking him, knowing what could happen if the Doctor woke from his healing coma too early, "Where's the sonic?!" Rose looked up at her, "Rose where is it?!"

Rose and Jackie had gotten the Doctor all changed and put his clothes somewhere. Rose jumped up and ran to the Doctor's jacket, hanging on a rack, and pulled it out.

"Rose, give it to me," Angel held out a hand.

"No," Rose ran over to the Doctor's side, placing it in his hand, but he remained lifeless.

"Rose I know what to do!" Angel yelled as the tree hit the wardrobe.

"You've done enough!" Rose glared at her, making the girl flinch.

Her emotions were running so high she just didn't care anymore. Her mother and Mickey were about to be attacked and the Doctor wasn't awake to stop it, to save them, and there was only one reason why he wasn't...Angel.

"I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie cried, being thrown back by the tree.

Rose turned to the Doctor, leaning close to his ear, "Help me," she drew back slightly as the Doctor suddenly sat up and pointed the sonic at the tree, causing it to explode.

"Remote control," he commented, lowering the sonic, "But who's controlling it?" he got out of bed, glancing over to see Angel standing near the coat rack, tears in her eyes, "You alright?" he asked her, concerned.

She nodded, swallowing hard before she picked up a robe and tossed it to him, "Better take that, it's chilly out," he smiled at her and pulled it on as he headed for the door, stepping out onto the walkway before the flats, the group following him, only to see a group of three Santa standing there.

"That's them," Mickey pointed, "What are they?"

"Shush!" Rose hissed before looking at the Doctor, who just raised the sonic and pointed it at the Santas, the threat clear. They backed away and stood closer to each other before teleporting away.

"They've just gone! What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offense, but they're not much cop if a _sonic screwdriver's_ gonna scare them off."

"Pilot fish," the Doctor remarked.

"What?" Rose frowned as they all looked at him.

"They were just pilot fish," he repeated.

Angel quickly grabbed his arm just before he coughed and threw himself backwards against the wall, in pain. He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it as the pain struck again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Angel. I did promise to write Rose in a better light, and I have/will. Here though, she's pretty much in shock, confused, scared, and just overwhelmed and, as humans do, she's lashing out. I hope that it is a believable reaction and not coming across as me going back to 'anti-Rose' writings, it's really, really not. I promise, it's just the regeneration and this situation is a little too much for her to handle at the moment. Things will get better though, probably get a little worse first, but they WILL get better. Next chapter we even get a little Angel/Mickey bonding :)


	3. The Christmas Invasion: Placing Blame

"What's wrong?!" Rose cried, kneeling down beside the Doctor with the others.

"You woke him up too soon," Angel answered as the Doctor panted, "He's still regenerating."

He nodded, "I'm bursting with energy," he opened his mouth and a small burst of orange regeneration energy escaped, "You see? The pilot fish could smell it. A million miles away. So they eliminate the defense, that's you lot, and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of year…" he jolted forward with a groan, Angel still at his side, half-being taken with him as he had yet to let go of her hand.

"Oh!" Jackie gasped, "Oh! Oh!"

"My head!" he moaned through gritted teeth, his knuckles nearly white as they gripped Angel's hand, refusing to let go. Jackie knelt before him, helping the girl hold him up, "I'm having a neuron implosion. I need…"

"What do you need?" Jackie cut in, worried.

"I need…"

"Say it, tell me, tell me."

"I need…"

"Painkillers?"

"I need…"

"Do you need aspirin?"

"I…"

"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I dunno, Pepto-Bismol?"

"I need…"

"Liquid paraffin? Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?"

"I need…"

"Is it food? Something simple? Uh, a bowl of soup? A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?"

"I need you to shut up!" he shouted.

"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?"

Angel, despite the situation, had to giggle a bit at that, "I like her, she sounds like you," she remarked to the Doctor. Rambling, not letting someone else get a word in, but still trying to help, that was _so_ the Doctor.

This Jackie was so different from the one they'd met in the past. But, she supposed, the circumstances that shaped the woman before her were MUCH different. She'd lost her husband, a man she loved, and had to raise her daughter by herself. She'd had to mature and face the world and grow stronger as a result. She was remarkable, she could see where Rose got it from.

"She doesn't sound a _thing_ lik..." he began, almost offended, before he jolted forward again, leaning against the wall of the building, "We haven't got much time. If there's pilot fish, then…" he pulled an apple out of his pocket, "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"Oh, that's Howard, sorry," Jackie smiled.

"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?"

"He gets hungry."

"What, he gets hungry in his sleep?"

"Sometimes."

"Will you give it a second chance?" Angel asked, out of nowhere.

"What?" he looked at her, utterly confused.

"I dunno," she shook her head, too tired to try and make sense of it.

"No, what did you…" he began, sensing that this was one of her feelings on something, but he suddenly collapsed to the ground, grimacing in pain, "Brain…collapsing…" he grabbed Angel's arm, struggling to speak, needing to warn her, needing her to know what was happening...he needed her to be _safe_ , "P…the pilot fish. The pilot fish mean...that something…something…"

"Something's coming," Angel finished for him.

He nodded for only a moment before falling into her lap in a faint.

~8~

Angel knelt beside the Doctor on his bed, quietly whispering to him as she wiped his brow with a cloth as Rose stood at the foot of the bed, watching her with a cold look on her face. Mickey passed the room, holding a laptop, glancing in at Rose before nodding towards the sitting room. Rose cast one more glance at Angel before turning and joining Mickey. He put his laptop on the table and opened it, "Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Jackie said, cleaning up, "Keep a count of it. It's midnight. Christmas Day," she looked when Rose stepped in, "Any change?"

"He's worse," Rose replied, "Angel said just the one heart is beating now."

Jackie sighed and sat in a chair, watching the TV, "Scientists in charge of Britain's mission to Mars have reestablished contact with the Guinevere One Space Probe," a news reporter began on TV, "They're expecting the first transmission from the planet's surface in the next few minutes."

"Yes, we are," a scientist replied at a press conference, the same man who had been with Harriet before, "We're…we're back on schedule. We've received the signal from Guinevere One. The Mars landing would seem to be an unqualified success."

"But is it true that you completely lost contact earlier tonight?" a member of the audience asked.

"Yes, we had a bit of a scare," he nodded, "Guinevere seemed to fall off the scope, but it…it was just a _blip_. Only disappeared for a few seconds. She's fine now, absolutely fine. We…we're getting the first pictures transmitted live any minute now. I'd better get back to it, thanks."

"Here we go, pilot fish," Mickey brought up a page on his computer as Rose came to look on, "Scavengers, like the Doctor said. Harmless, they're tiny, but the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish."

"Do you mean like sharks?" Rose shook her head.

"Great big sharks. So, what the Doctor means is, we had them…now we get that."

Rose watched as the animation of a shark snapped viciously on the screen, "Something is coming...how close?"

"There's no way of telling, but the pilot fish don't swim far from their daddy."

"So, it's close?"

"Funny sort of rocks," Jackie commented, looking at a distorted image on the screen.

"It's not rocks," Angel said. They looked over to see her standing in the doorway, the tea cup that Jackie had brought her now empty in her hand as it had been knocked over in the scuffle with the tree, looking at the TV where the image slowly cleared.

"...coming live from the depths of space on Christmas morning," the news reporter continued.

The image cleared to reveal an alien face, roaring at them.

~8~

"The face of an alien life form was transmitted live tonight on BBC1," a BBC newsreader stated.

"On the 25th of December, the Human Race has been shown absolute proof that alien life exists," an American reporter said.

"These remarkable images have been relayed right across the world," another newsreader added.

~8~

Three cars drove through the gates to the Tower of London, pulling up outside it. The driver opened the door for the scientist in charge of the probe while a military, black man stepped out of the building, "This way, sir," he was led through the halls to the base of UNIT, extremely busy, "Mr. Llewellyn," the general introduced him.

"Mr. Llewellyn, ma'am," Llewellyn approached Harriet Jones.

"Harriet Jones," she greeted, holding up her ID, "Prime Minister."

"Oh, well, yes. I know who you are. I suppose I've ruined your Christmas."

"Never off duty. Now, we've put out a cover story. Alex has been handling it."

"We've said it was a hoax," the man beside her with an earpiece in stated, "Some sort of mask or prosthetics," Llewellyn nodded, "Students hijacking the signal, that sort of thing."

"Alex is my right-hand man. I'm not used to having a right-hand man. I quite like it, though."

"Quite like it myself."

"I…I don't suppose there's any chance it _was_ a hoax?" Llewellyn asked.

"That would be nice," she remarked, "Then we could all go home. I don't suppose anyone's offered you a coffee..."

"No," he shook his head.

Harriet turned and poured him some, "But, no, the transmission was genuine. And this seems to be a new species of alien," she handed it to him, "At least, not one we've encountered before."

"You seem to be talking about aliens as a matter of fact."

"There's an act of parliament banning my autobiography."

"Prime Minister?" the general stepped up.

"I'm with you," she followed him into a busy room.

"Miss Jacobs can explain," he motioned to a blonde woman at a computer who stood up to greet her.

"I don't think we've been introduced. Harriet Jones, Prime Minister."

"Yes, I…I know who you are," she smiled, "The transmission _didn't_ come from the surface of Mars. Guinevere One was broadcasting from a point 5,000 miles _above_ the planet."

"In other words, they've got a ship and the probe is on board," the general stated.

"But if they're not from the surface, then...they might not be from Mars itself," Llewellyn reasoned, "Maybe they're not actual Martians."

"Of course not, Martians look completely different. We think the ship was in flight when they just came across the probe."

"And they're moving," Jacobs added, "The ship's still in flight now. We've got it on the Hubble array."

"Moving in which direction?" Harriet asked as the woman turned back to the computer.

"Towards us."

"How fast?"

"Very fast."

Harriet turned her gaze to the diagram showing the position of the ship to the Earth on the largest monitor, "What was your name, again?"

"Sally."

"Thank you, Sally," Harriet replied, staring at the screen.

~8~

Rose sat on the sofa when Mickey called her over to the laptop, "Rose," she got up and perched on the edge of his chair, "Take a look, I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, and it's coming this way," he showed her the same image of the alien's position.

"Coming for what though?" Rose frowned, "The Doctor?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's coming for all of us," the image of four aliens came onto the screen, speaking their language, completely un-translated, "Have you seen them before?"

Rose shook her head, "No."

~8~

The aliens continued to speak, UNIT watching them intently, "Translation software," the general called.

"Yes, sir," Alex got to work.

~8~

"I don't understand what they're saying," Rose frowned, frustrated, "The TARDIS translates alien languages inside my head, _all the time_ , wherever I am."

"So, why isn't it doing it now?" Mickey asked.

"I don't know," she whispered, upset, "Must be the Doctor. Like he's part of the circuit and he's...he's broken."

"The TARDIS shares a psychic bond with its pilot," Angel's voice said, they looked up to see her standing behind them in the doorway, "He's weak, so it's weak."

"What are you doing out here?" Rose asked her, rather rudely if Mickey had to describe it.

"Getting tea," she replied, taking a step into the room, about to head into the kitchen where she saw Jackie puttering around, the tea kettle just recently whistled.

"So you're just gonna make tea while the Doctor dies?" Rose scoffed, glaring at her.

"He's not dying Rose. He just needs a bit of tea and…"

"He doesn't need tea!"

"These aliens," Mickey cut in, trying to diffuse the situation, knowing how Rose could be when she was upset about something, he'd seen it himself when she'd thought the Doctor and Angel were in danger with the Daleks, she tended to shout in her frustrations and lash out at people who were just trying to help her,"Do you know what they're saying? Can you translate?"

She nodded, hesitantly, she hadn't exactly _excelled_ at alien languages, but she _could_ understand them if she needed to, "Yeah…"

"We _don't_ need your help," Rose nearly spat at her.

"Rose _why_ are you so cross with me?" Angel finally asked. She'd been dealing with Rose's attitude and looks all night, and frankly she was just too tired, physically, from taking in the Heart of the TARDIS, and emotionally, from dealing with the Doctor's sudden regeneration, to try and work out for herself why the human was acting the way she was. And honestly, she probably wouldn't be able to work it out anyway, humans confused her.

"Because this is _all your fault_!" Rose shouted, standing up to face the girl, "If you hadn't used the Vortex, made me put it in that necklace thing for you, the Doctor would be awake, he'd be _himself_! He's lying in there, helpless, and it's all because of _you_! _You_ did this to him! And you made ME help you!"

 _That_ was one thing she was _really_ upset about, if she had known that _this_ would happen she _never_ would have done what Angel's hologram had asked her to do, she would have figured something else out. Now it was partially her fault what had happened to the Doctor and she didn't like that _at all,_ she didn't want to think that _she_ could have had a hand in the Doctor's death. She had trusted Angel to save him and she'd failed.

"It's _your_ fault!"

Mickey looked at Angel as she stood there before the irate blonde, tears in her eyes, "Alright then…" she swallowed hard, "I'll just go look after the Doctor," she turned and left, not even bothering to shout back at Rose, to defend herself, because, as far as she was concerned, it really _was_ her fault. She'd been blaming herself the entire time…and, as she now realized, so had everyone else…

She sat in the Doctor's room, just holding his hand, wiping his brow for a few moments, when Mickey entered slowly, the laptop tucked under his arm. He gave her a small smile and moved to sit at the foot of the bed, "Don't mind Rose," he told her quietly, setting his laptop up again, he'd been on the receiving end of her anger a few times in the past, "She's just upset."

"She's right," Angel said, her voice cracking.

"No she isn't," Mickey shook his head.

"She IS," Angel insisted, "You weren't there Mickey, you don't know what happened..."

"So tell me," he said softly, "What _did_ happen?"

She looked over at him and back at the Doctor, squeezing the man's hand, "When Margaret was here, she set up a trap in the TARDIS, the Heart of the TARDIS opened to stop her. I...I was right next to it and...I _felt_ it. I felt the power that was inside it and..." she shook her head, "I had this terrible feeling that the Heart of the TARDIS would destroy someone. I was afraid it would be Rose or the Doctor, I just _knew_ it would be them, so...I tried to avoid it. I tried to _change_ it. I made it so that _I_ would take in the power of the Vortex instead of either of them, I thought, maybe, it would save them that way. But...the Doctor pulled it out of me anyway. He died...and regenerated..."

Mickey nodded slowly, absorbing what she'd said, fitting the peices together, "So you were trying to stop it from happening?"

She nodded, "The Doctor jokes that I'm psychic but...I _didn't_ know it would happen anyway... _honestly_ , I didn't!"

"Well even psychics can't see everything," Mickey nudged her, "Otherwise they'd be winning the lottery every week eh?" he smiled as that got her to laugh a bit, "You gotta allow for hum...well, I suppose it's Time Lord error huh?" he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look at him, "You were just trying to _help_ and that's something the Doctor would _never_ blame you for, so don't go blaming yourself either, ok?" he asked and she nodded, "Good," he leaned back, "Rose'll calm down and she'll apologize. She's just...worried."

Angel frowned, "Worried?" from what she'd seen, humans were never quite as angry as Rose was when they were worried.

He nodded, "I've seen her _and_ her mum, instead of _showing_ they're worried they tend to just get angry."

Angel blinked and nodded slowly, yes, humans definitely confused her. She glanced back at Mickey, offering him a little smile, "Thanks Mickey."

He grinned, "No problem."

And then she noticed the laptop, "Still want me to translate?"

"If you want," he'd come in there to try and cheer her up a bit, distract her, include her. She'd made him feel like a part of the group back when they'd stopped in with Jack, the least he could do was return the favor. And it seemed like it was working.

She nodded, and he passed the laptop to her, she listened a moment as the aliens spoke, "Um…people, you belong to us," she said, "To the Sycorax. We...own you. We now…possess your land, your minerals, your…precious stones. You will surrender or…they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax…um, rock?"

Mickey frowned, "What do they mean? They will die?"

Angel could only shake her head, handing Mickey back the laptop as she leaned forward to rest her head in her hands, Mickey watching her sadly. He could only imagine what the girl was going through, fearing for the Doctor, dealing with Rose, and now having _this_ piled on...he set the laptop aside and scooted over to sit beside her, rubbing her back in comfort, offering her his human strength, but also telling her she wasn't in it alone despite how she might think so because of Rose.

~8~

"I'm getting demands from Washington, ma'am," the general stated as Harriet walked up to him, "The President's insisting that he take control of the situation."

"You can tell the President, and please use these _exact_ words, he's not my boss and he's certainly not turning this into a war," Harriet replied, turning to Alex, "What've we got?"

"Nothing yet," he replied, "Translating an alien language is going to take time."

"How far off is the ship?" the general asked.

"About five hours," Alex replied.

Harriet looked up at the screen, showing the ship coming towards the Earth.

~8~

"Despite claims of an alien hoax, it's been reported that NATO forces are on red alert," an American newsreader said on the TV.

"Speaking strictly off-the-record, government sources are calling this our longest night," another one reported.

~8~

The general sat in a chair, deep in thought when Harriet approached him, "I don't suppose we've had a Code 9? No sign of the Doctor?"

"Nothing yet," he stood, watching her close her eyes in disappointment, "You've met him, haven't you?" she nodded, "More like the stuff of legend."

"He is that. Failing him..." she looked him in the eye, "What about Torchwood?"

His eyes widened in shock, "I…"

"I know I'm not supposed to know about it, I realize that. Not even the United Nations knows. But if ever there was a need for Torchwood, it's now."

"I can't take responsibility..."

" _I_ can," she replied grimly, "See to it. Get them ready."

He nodded and left as Alex approached with a laptop, "Prime Minister..."

"Has it worked?"

"Just about," he nodded, placing it down on the desk as Llewellyn and Sally joined, "'People...' that could be 'cattle,' 'you belong to us. To the Sycorax,' they seem to be called 'Sycorax,' not Martians. 'We own you. We now possess your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock,' as in the modern sense, they rock."

"'They will die?'" Llewellyn muttered, "Not 'you will die,' ' _they_ will die?' Who's they?"

"I don't know, but it is the right personal pronoun, it's 'they.'"

"Send them our reply," Harriet ordered, "Tell them...this is a day of peace on planet Earth. Tell them...we extend that peace to the Sycorax," Alex nodded, taking notes, "And then tell them...this planet is armed and we do not surrender."

Sally nodded, the three leaving her, "Come on."

~8~

Jackie slept soundly at the Doctor's side, having joined Angel a short while ago in keeping watch over him, especially after hearing Rose shouting at the poor girl. Rose watched her, leaning against the doorframe as Mickey stood beside her, "The Doctor wouldn't do this," she said, her voice shaking, "The old Doctor. The _proper_ Doctor. He'd wake up. He'd save us."

"He _can't_ wake up," a voice said behind them. They turned around to see Angel standing there with a cup of tea, "He's in a healing coma, if he wakes up again before he's ready his heart _will_ give out."

"What's with the tea?" Mickey asked, eyeing the cup.

"It's for the Doctor."

Rose just rolled her eyes and snatched the cup away, "God, you're _just_ like my mother," and strode off back to the kitchen to dump it.

Angel sighed, before going to sit back down at the Doctor's bedside, resigned.

~8~

Daylight broke as UNIT continued working hard, "They got the message," Sally called, "Here comes the response."

They looked up at the screen where an image of the Sycorax was being transmitted, the leader simply holding out his hand, a blue light around it, "What was that?" Harriet asked, "Was that a reply?"

"I don't know," Alex shook his head, "Looked like some sort of energy, or...static?"

"Almost like someone casting a spell," Llewellyn remarked, none of them noticing the same light surrounding Sally's head and a few others, "Maybe it's a different form of language, some sort of ideogram or pictogram…"

Suddenly the members of UNIT affected by the light turned and began to march from the room as though in a trance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this explained a little more Rose's reasoning and why she's so angry. You never want to think that something terrible was YOUR fault so you tend to blame someone else. Here Rose realizes that, in following Angel's orders, she had a hand in the Doctor's 'death' and she'd rather think the entire thing is Angel's fault than admit she helped. But who loved Mickey here? I felt like he could relate and understand an angry Rose and probably empathize with Angel, having witnessed it before, and want to check on her. Sweet, love the bonding :)


	4. The Christmas Invasion: Something's Coming

"What the hell?" Llewellyn gasped at the men and women marched, spotting the light flickering around their heads, "It's the light! It's the same light! Sally? What're you doing? Sally?" he tried to grab Sally, but she just continued on.

"Oh, leave her!" Harriet called, "You'll hurt her!"

The security guards raised their guns ready to fire, not sure if the men and women were going to attack, when the commanding officer shouted, "Let them pass!"

"Where are they going?" Llewellyn wondered.

~8~

Rose headed for the door of the flat, hearing one of the neighbors shouting.

"Sandra?" she called as she and Mickey popped their heads out to see Sandra chasing after her husband as he marched down the hall.

"He won't listen!" she cried, "He's just walking, he won't stop walking! There's this sort of...light thing. Jason? Stop it!" Rose took a few steps forwards, Mickey following, "Right now!"

They looked over the railing to see scores of people entranced by a blue light, just...marching.

~8~

"They're all heading in the same direction!" Harriet shouted as she and a few other members of UNIT followed the people.

"It's only certain people," Llewellyn remarked, "Why isn't it affecting _us_?"

"Prime Minister?" Alex called, "It's happening all over the country."

~8~

A woman desperately tried to get her family to stop marching, "Anna, come on, now stop this. It's not funny anymore. Come on, Anna. Come back inside the house. Katherine...Katherine, now listen to me, you come back inside now," she tried to stop her children but they kept walking, "And you, Jonathan, you come back in with mummy. Jonathan, come on back in with mummy! You're scaring me now! Come on!" she tried again, close to tears, turning to her husband, "Alan, help me out here! Please!"

All around people were frantic, trying to stop the people marching.

"As far as I can tell, they're heading for any sort of high-rise building," a police officer called in to his radio, "Anything with stairs...anything with steps..."

They watched in horror as the people climbed steps up the sides of buildings.

~8~

"They've gone all the way up!" Llewellyn called, "They've gone into the roof."

~8~

"Just making my way to the front of the building now," the officer reported, "There's hundreds of them. Oh, God. They've gone right to the edge. They're gonna jump. They're all gonna jump!"

~8~

Llewellyn hurried across the roof after Sally, "Sally, stop it," he walked backwards, trying to stop her, "It's Danny Llewellyn. Daniel Llewellyn. Sally, just _concentrate_. Listen to me, you're being _controlled_. We need you!" she just walked on, "Stop it, Sally!"

~8~

Angel peeked out of the window of the flat, eyeing the people standing at the edge of the roofs and high-rises, their loved ones trying to hold them back before turning and walking back to the Doctor. There was nothing she could do to help them, not now, and if she tried...she'd probably just fail in that too...

~8~

"Jason, I'm talking to you!" Sandra shouted as Mickey and Rose watched, "Just stop!"

Just as the people reached the edge...they stopped.

~8~

"It's not just the whole country," Alex reported, "It's the _whole world_."

~8~

"They've stopped," the officer called, "They've all stopped. They're just...standing there. Right on the edge."

~8~

"According to reports, it's like a third," Alex reported to Harriet, back in the base, at his laptop, "One third of the world's population. That's _two billion_ people ready to jump."

~8~

"What do we do?" Mickey asked.

"Nothing," Rose replied, defeated, "There's no one to save us. Not anymore."

He looked at her sharply, "What about Angel?"

Rose scoffed, "She got us into this mess in the first place!"

"Rose don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" Mickey eyed her disapprovingly, "She's not the one who brought the aliens to Earth."

Angel had done _everything_ she could to _help_ them, to help the Doctor, and Rose just wouldn't leave her be for even a _minute_. He knew enough to know Angel didn't deserve that. And for once he was going to take a stand against Rose.

"The aliens are here for the Doctor, for his regeneration energy or whatever that is," Rose countered, "And he's regenerating _because_ of her. If she hadn't done what she did the Doctor would be awake right now to stop this."

"Rose..." Mickey shifted, not wanting to get on her bad side too, but not wanting her to keep taking it out on Angel like she was when the girl wasn't even there to defend herself, "YOU were the one who woke the Doctor up when Angel said not to," he pointed out, making Rose look at him so fast he was afraid she'd gotten whiplash, "He'd be up now if you'd just let him sleep then."

And with that, he turned and headed back in...more like ran for the door, knowing how Rose could be.

"It's not MY fault!" she shouted after him, even though her gut told her it was, even a little, her fault, she just...she didn't want to admit it. She'd been responsible for the Doctor dying once before, with the Reapers, she couldn't be again, not again, "It's _not_!"

~8~

Llewellyn and the major ran back into the base.

"Wait a minute, there is a pattern," Alex gasped, "All these people tend to be father and son, mother and daughter. Brothers and sisters, family groups, but _not_ husbands and wives."

"Oh, my God," Llewellyn stared at the screen, Alex and Harriet looking over at him, "It's Guinevere One," he turned to Alex, "Have you got medical records on file for all your staff?"

"'Course we have, yes," Alex nodded, moving aside so Llewellyn could sit, Harriet and the major joining them.

"What about Torchwood?" she asked the major quietly.

"Still working on it," he replied, "Bear in mind, they _have_ just lost a third of their staff."

"But do they have what we need?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, tell them to hurry up."

"Here it is," Llewellyn brought up the medical files, "Sally Jacobs...blood group, A Positive. Who else walked out?"

"Luke Parsons," Alex answered after a moment of thought.

"Luke Parsons...A Positive."

"Jeffery Baxter."

"Baxter...A Positive. That's it. They're all A Positive."

"How many people in the world are A Positive?" the major asked.

"No idea. But I bet it's one third."

"What's so special about that blood group?"

"Nothing. But...it's my fault. Guinevere One...it's got one of those plaques identifying the Human Race. Er...a message to the stars. I mean, you don't expect anything to come of it, but...I put on maps and music and samples. There's wheat seeds and water and...and blood. A Positive. The Sycorax have got a vial of A Positive. And well, I don't know how, but...through that..."

"They control the blood," Harriet finished.

"Oh, my God," he gasped.

"There's only one more thing I can try," Harriet said, turning to leave, "Major, with me."

~8~

"Ladies and gentlemen..." Harriet broadcasted over the TV, Rose, Mickey, and Jackie watching, "If I may take a moment during this terrible time. It's hardly the Queen's speech, I'm afraid that's been cancelled," she looked off camera, "Did we ask about the royal family?" she blinked at the reply, "Oh. They're on the roof. But, ladies and gentlemen, this crisis is unique, and I'm afraid to say, it might get much worse. I would ask you all to remain calm. But I have one request: Doctor, if you're out there...we _need_ you."

Jackie looked at Rose but she wouldn't look away from the TV.

"I don't know what to do. But if you can hear me, Doctor..."

Rose turned away.

"If anyone knows the Doctor, if anyone can find him...the situation has never been more desperate."

Rose turned and walked back towards the kitchen.

"Help us. _Please_ , Doctor. _Help us_."

She leaned heavily against the counter, sobbing at how hopeless it all was. Jackie quickly made her way over to her, taking her in her arms, trying to comfort her.

When suddenly a massive wave smashed all the windows and glass.

~8~

"Sonic wave!" Llewellyn shouted as an alarm went off, "It's the spaceship, it's hit the atmosphere!"

~8~

Mickey, Rose, and Jackie ran outside, looking up as a huge spaceship floated into view, obscuring the sun, hovering right over central London. Rose stared at it a moment before running back inside. She burst into the Doctor's room as Angel was dabbing his head, "Mickey, we're gonna carry him!" she shouted back, running to the bed and throwing the duvet off, "Mum, get your stuff, and get some food. We're going."

"Rose what are you doing?" Angel asked, a bit shaken from the wave that had struck only moments ago.

"Well, where to?" Mickey countered.

"The TARDIS," Rose answered, "It's the only safe place on Earth."

"What're we gonna do in there?!" Jackie shook her head.

"Hide."

"Is that it?!"

"Mum, look in the sky. There's a great, big, alien invasion and I don't know what to do, alright? I've travelled with him, and I've seen all that stuff, but when I'm stuck at home, I'm useless. Now, all we can do is run and hide, and I'm sorry. Now, _move_."

Jackie turned to leave the room as Rose heaved to get the Doctor up.

"Here let me help," Angel stepped forward, agreeing the TARDIS was the safest place. She'd _just_ put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder when Rose snapped.

"Don't _touch_ him!" Rose nearly spat at her, making Angel flinch back, "Mickey grab his legs!"

Mickey stepped forward and grabbed the legs, helping Rose carry him out of the room.

~8~

"They're transmitting" Llewellyn called as Harriet ran over, "Onscreen."

The Sycorax appeared on the monitor, speaking in their language as Alex translated for them, "'Will the leader of this world stand forward.'"

Harriet stepped forward, "I'm proud to represent this planet."

"'Come aboard...'"

"Well, how do I do that?" Harriet wondered.

Suddenly her, the major, Llewellyn, and Alex were bathed in blue light.

"Wh…what's happening?" Llewellyn asked.

"I would imagine it's called a teleport," Harriet remarked as they were beamed to the ship.

They looked around in shock and awe, surrounded by thousands of Sycorax. One of them, the leader, stepped forward, and the humans did the same. He lifted his hands to his head, pulling off a helmet.

"It's a helmet. They might be like us!" Llewellyn's smile faded when, with the helmet off, they could see the face beneath seemed to be skeletal, made of bone and muscle on the outside, "...or not."

And then the aliens began to speak...

~8~

Rose and Mickey carried the Doctor out of the front door, Jackie behind them, trying to follow with quite a few bags in her hands. She dropped one and tried to pick it up again, "Mum, will you just leave that stuff and give us a hand?" Rose shouted.

"It's _food_!" she argued, "You said we need f…"

"Just _leave_ it!"

"Here Jackie," Angel stepped forward, not having anything in her arms and taking some from her, "Let me help."

"Oh, thanks love," Jackie smiled at her softly, _so_ sorry for how Rose was treating the girl.

Angel smiled in thanks, "Did you bring tea?"

"Oh, of course," she beamed as they turned to follow Rose and Mickey.

Angel's smile fell just a bit... _why_ did she keep asking about _tea_? She had to admit, it probably seemed mad and rather unimportant, but...she...she just _knew_ it might help the Doctor but...she didn't know _how_. She hadn't paid all that much attention in the Academy, not about maths or science or much else but space and time, little bit of history, tiny bit about other species, she wasn't sure _why_ it would help. And she knew that Rose, given how she currently felt, wouldn't believe her if she told her that the tea would cure the Doctor. She'd want an explanation, she'd want a _reason_ , and she...she just _couldn't_ give it without claiming it was 'just a feeling,' something that would probably set Rose off given how her last real 'feeling' had gone.

~8~

The Sycorax leader began to speak while Alex translated, using a small handheld translator, "'You will surrender, or I will release the final curse. And your people will jump.'"

"If I can speak…" Llewellyn pushed himself forward.

"Mr. Llewellyn, you're a civilian!" the major grabbed his arm.

"No!" he shook his head, " _I_ sent out the probe. _I_ started it. _I_ made contact with these people, this whole thing's _my_ responsibility," he pulled his arm away and stepped forward, addressing the leader, "With respect...sir. The Human Race is taking its first step towards the stars, but...we are like children compared to you," the leader looked unimpressed, "Children who need help. Children who need compassion. I beg of you now... _show_ that compassion."

The leader just raised a whip and lashed it at Llewellyn, fastening it around his neck. The man shouted with pain and glowed blue, falling down on the ground, nothing more than a pile of bones.

"That man was your _prisoner_!" the major stepped forward angrily, "Even your species must have articles of war, forbidding…"

The leader just used the whip on him too.

Alex moved to step forward, but Harriet stopped him, stepping up herself, holding out her ID, "Harriet Jones. Prime Minister."

"'Yes,'" Alex translated, "'We know who you are. Surrender or they will die.'"

The leader turned his back on them, moving up the stairs to stand next to a large red button.

"If I do surrender..." Harriet hesitated, "How would that be better?"

He placed his hand over it, "'Half is sold into slavery or one third dies,'" Alex paused, "'Your choice.'"

Harriet closed her eyes, opening them again as the leader hissed at her.

~8~

Rose and Mickey carried the Doctor into the TARDIS, Jackie and Angel following them with the food. They walked in, laying the Doctor on the ground, "No chance you could fly this thing?" Mickey turned to Angel.

"I could," she said, shivering just a bit, "But if I power her up the Sycorax will be able to detect her."

"So, what do we do? Just...sit here?"

"That's as good as it gets," Rose leaned against the console, frustrated, as Angel placed the bags down and knelt beside the Doctor.

"Right, here we go," Jackie smiled with a thermos, "Nice cup of tea."

"Hmm, the solution to everything, isn't it Angel?" Rose glared at her.

"Rose, _stop_ it," Jackie scolded, tired of how her daughter was acting, but knowing she couldn't argue much against it. _She_ was just as bad, she'd rather argue till she was blue in the face than admit she was _wrong_ about something, "Now, I'll get the rest of the food, you just wait here," she turned and headed out of the TARDIS.

"Tea," Mickey smiled, taking the thermos that Jackie had put down, "Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British," Rose didn't answer, though he didn't notice as he saw the monitor, "How does this thing work? It picks up TV, maybe we could see what's going on out there. Maybe we've surrendered," he looked up, "What do you do to it?"

"I dunno, it sort of tunes itself," Rose muttered, turning around to push a few buttons.

"No!" Angel shouted, "Don't touch that!" she jumped to her feet, running to the console...

But it was too late.

~8~

On the Sycorax ship, the leader turned quickly hearing a faint blip.

"The noise," Alex said quietly to Harriet, "The bleeping, they say it's machinery. Foreign machinery. They're accusing us of hiding it. Conspiring. Bring it on board."

~8~

Jackie stepped out of the flats, holding two more bags, walking towards the TARDIS when it teleported away, "Rose?" she asked and it disappeared, "Rose!"

~8~

"What?" Mickey looked over at Angel as she quickly hit a few buttons, turning off the monitor, "What is that like a distress signal?" Mickey asked, but Angel was on the other side of the console now, trying to see if they'd been detected.

"Fat lot of good that's gonna do," Rose remarked bitterly.

"Are you gonna be a misery all the time?" Mickey rounded on her.

"Yes."

"You should look at it from my point of view," Mickey remarked, putting the thermos down on the edge of the console, moving to lean next to her, "Stuck in here with your mum's cooking."

"Where is she?" Rose looked around, before heading to the door, "I'd better go and give her a hand. It might start raining missiles out there."

"Tell her anything from a tin, that's fine."

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"I'm not that brave."

"Oh, I don't know..." she smiled back at him and stepped outside just as Angel's eyes widened.

"Rose no!" she turned, but Rose was already out.

A moment later she screamed.

"Rose!" Mickey ran off to follow, running out, leaving the door open.

Angel quickly grabbed the thermos and knelt beside the Doctor, looking around for a moment as though trying to figure out what to do before pouring it through the grating around him, "Breathe deep," she whispered in his ear, giving his hand a quick squeeze and dropping a kiss to his forehead, before getting up and running out.

"The door!" Rose was shouting, "Close the door!"

Mickey turned around but was grabbed by a Sycorax, but luckily Angel stepped out and shut the door right behind her, getting grabbed as well and dragged off.

~8~

The tea landed on a hot object below the grilling, causing it to steam up around the Doctor.

~8~

The leader smirked as the trio was brought forward.

"Rose," Harriet gasped, stumbling forward to hug the woman, though both were terrified, "Rose! I've got you. My Lord. My precious thing. The Doctor...is he with you?"

"No," her voice shook, "We're all on our own."

"You've still got me," Angel reminded her quietly.

Rose turned to glare at her, "Lot of good _that_ will do us."

Angel stepped back at that, Mickey putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort. She reached up and squeezed his hand, giving him a small smile which he returned encouragingly, at least _he_ supported her.

~8~

Inside the TARDIS, steam surrounded the Doctor's head, him inhaling it with each breath he took. He took a deep one in his sleep, opening his mouth for more orange regeneration energy to escape.

~8~

The leader pointed at Rose and addressed her angrily, "'The yellow girl,'" Alex translated, "'She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet.'"

"But she _can't_ ," Harriet argued.

"Yeah, I can," Rose said quietly, not taking her eyes off the leader.

"Don't you _dare_ ," Mickey hissed.

"Someone's gotta be the Doctor."

"Then why not let the Time _Lady_ fill in for the Time _Lord_ ," Mickey argued, but Rose ignored him, stepping forward.

"They'll _kill_ you!" Harriet grabbed her arm.

Rose shook her off, "Never stopped him," she took a few more steps forward, speaking nervously, "I, um...I address the Sycorax according to...Article 15 of the Shadow Proclamation. I command you to leave this world with all the authority of the...Slitheen Parliament of Raxacoricofallapatorius, and um...the Gelth Confederacy?" the leader strode towards her, "A…as uh...sanctioned...by the Mighty Jagrafess...and...oh, the Daleks! Now, _leave_ this planet in peace! In peace..."

There was a moment of silence before the Sycorax burst out laughing, "'You are very, very funny,'" Alex translated as the leader grew angry, "'And now you're going to die!'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Next chapter we get a little bit of Angel taking control and...the Doctor! -squeals- I will say this, we're going to see a bit of a hint at where his 'affections' now lie. I noticed in the episode that 10 kept giving these little 'adoring' (urg) glances to Rose, not anymore lol :) And...who loved MICKEY finally telling Rose off even just a little? I know I did :) 
> 
> Hope this chapter also answered why Angel doesn't just tell Rose what the tea would do. Compared to my other two OC series, the Time Lady here really ISN'T as smart as the Doctor. She really doesn't know WHY the tea would help, about those free radicals and tannins and other things. The Professor was smarter than the Doctor, Evy was as smart him, but Angel, while she is smart in her own way she truly isn't as clever as the rest of her people. This is something that will actually be brought up throughout the saga and even discussed a bit when we get to Amy and Angel.


	5. The Christmas Invasion: Tea Cures Everything

Harriet and Mickey lunged forward to try and help Rose but the Sycorax pulled them back.

"No, don't!" Angel managed to pull herself out of the guard's grip and run in front of Rose, holding up her hands in peace, "I am speaking to the Sycorax under Jurisdiction 2 of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement, I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation! Do you accept?"

She _really_ hoped they did, that was as far as her attention had gotten her in her 'Intergalactic Relations' class at the Academy... _this_ was the culmination of _years_ of schooling...and she only _barely_ remembered it. Stick her in front of a TARDIS and she could rattle off its entire history...give her a math equation, it could take her hours.

The Sycorax fell silent once more as the humans stared at her in shock before the leader asked her something, "'Who spe…'" Alex began.

"Yes, thank you," Angel cut in, "I can understand him well enough," she took a breath and squared herself, trying to be as confident as the Doctor always seemed despite the fact she was pretty sure she'd muck this up too, "I am the Angel...of Gallifrey," she hesitated before adding, "Nice to meet you."

The Sycorax eyed her now with a small amount of wonder at her announcement before speaking. Alex looked around a moment before starting to translate for the humans at least, "'You should have spoken first, instead of her with the stolen words. We may have given pause. Instead she insults us with her mockery…'" Alex paused as Harriet closed her eyes in despair, wondering why Rose hadn't just let the girl talk in the first place, "'We are the Sycorax. We astride the darkness. Next to us you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion...'"

"Then your world will be gutted..." the Sycorax said, in English.

"'...then your world will be gutted...'" Alex continued as Rose and the Angel stared.

"...and your people enslaved."

"'...and your people enslaved…'" Alex looked up, "Hold on, that's English."

"He's talking English," Harriet's eyes widened.

"You're talking English," Rose blinked at the leader.

"Oh thank God," Angel breathed, _knowing_ what that meant.

"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile!" the leader shouted.

"That's English," Rose pointed at him, backing up a bit before turning to Harriet, Mickey, and Alex, "Can you hear English?"

"Yeah, that's English," Mickey agreed as they all nodded.

"Definitely English," Alex nodded.

"I speak only Sycoraxic!" the leader yelled.

"If I can hear English..." Rose began slowly, realizing, "Then it's being translated, which means it's working, which means..." she turned around slowly to look at the TARDIS, everyone following suit.

The doors swung open and there, standing, smiling, in his pajamas and dressing gown, was the Doctor, "Did you miss me?"

Rose smiled in delight as Angel just closed her eyes tight, tears in them, _so_ relieved he was alright.

The leader roared in fury and lashed his whip at the Doctor, who just caught the end and pulled it away from him, tossing it to the side, "You could have someone's eye out with that!"

The leader roared again and tried to attack with his staff but the Doctor just snatched it and snapped it over his knee.

"You just can't get the staff. Now, you, just wait. I'm busy," the leader stared incredulously as the Doctor pointed at him warningly, looking around, "Mickey!" he greeted, "Hello!" and then saw Harriet, "And Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North! Blimey, it's like 'This Is Your Life!'" he turned to Rose, beaming, "Tea! That's all I needed! A good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. _Just_ the thing for healing the synapses..."

"You should've let Angel help," Mickey muttered to Rose, thinking about all that tea Angel had been trying to give him.

The Doctor turned around, looking for the missing Time Lady, only to see her standing behind him seemingly just _barely_ managing not to cry. He frowned and walked over to her, completely ignoring the aliens anf humans around him at seeing that, "Hey, you alright?"

She swallowed hard, "Better."

"What's wrong?" he reached out to touch her but she stepped back.

"One third of the Earth is being controlled by them," she took a breath, "Deal with them first…or second," she added, smiling just a bit.

He nodded and spun around, "She's right, first things first..." he walked over to Rose, wanting to give Angel a moment to gather herself, "Be honest. How do I look?"

"Um...different?" Rose supplied.

"Good different or bad different?"

"Just...different."

"Am I...ginger?" he asked, dead serious.

She looked up at his hair, "No, you're just sort of brown."

"Aw, I wanted to be _ginger_ ," he turned away, pouting, "I've never been ginger," he turned, pointing at her violently, "And you, Rose Tyler, fat lot of good you were, you gave up on me…" he cut off suddenly, "Oh, that's _rude_. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude?" he ponder it a moment, "Rude and not ginger."

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Harriet frowned.

"I'm the Doctor," he smiled.

"He's the Doctor," Rose nodded.

"But what happened to my Doctor?" Harriet asked, "Or is it a title that's just passed on?"

The Doctor walked over to her, "I'm him. I'm _literally_ him. Same man, new face, well, new everything."

"But you can't be."

"Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street, and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own."

"Oh, my God."

"Did you win the election?"

She smiled, pleased, "Landslide majority."

"If I might interrupt!" the leader sneered.

They all spun around, almost forgetting he was there, "Yes! Sorry! Hello, big fella!"

"Who exactly are you?"

"Well," he grinned, "That's the question."

"I demand to know who you are!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" he imitated the leader's roar, before relaxing, "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I…I just _don't_ know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested," he walked around, looking at people, "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" he turned suddenly and winked at Angel who smiled a bit, "Right old misery? Life and soul? Right-handed? Left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I'm..."

"Still a talker," Angel supplied with a laugh.

He beamed at her, she had such a beautiful laugh, "Oh yes, always!" before his gaze was captured by the Sycorax's button, "And how am I gonna react when I see this?" he pointed at it with an insane smile, "A Great-Big-Threatening button," he ran up the stairs, laughing, "A Great-Big-Threatening-Button-Which-Must-Not-Be-Pressed-Under-Any-Circumstances. Am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix? Hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?" he bent down and pulled open a small door to access the controls underneath, frowning at the sight of a red liquid, "And what've we got here? Blood?" he dipped his finger in and tasted it, "Yeah, definitely. Blood. Human blood. A Positive. With just a dash of iron," he waggled his tongue around at the nasty taste and wiped his finger off, "Ah. But that means..." he looked at Angel, encouraging her to answer.

"Blood control?" Angel called, guessing.

"Blood control!" he grinned, very pleased, "Oh! I haven't seen blood control in _years_! You're controlling all the A Positives!" the Sycorax's grin faltered slightly, "Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. 'Cos...I really _don't_ know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great-Big-Threatening-Button-Which-Should-Never-Ever-Be-Pressed...then I just wanna do this," he whacked his hand down on it.

"No!" Rose and Harriet cried.

~8~

All the A Positives standing on the rooftops suddenly took a step forward, like they were about to step off, before falling backwards, looking around, confused.

"What the hell am I doing up here?" Sandra's husband called.

"Get away from the edge!" she shouted, pulling him back.

~8~

"You killed them!" Alex shouted.

"What do you think, Angel?" he leaned over the button to look down at her to see her smiling, his hearts flittering at the sight despite the fact he could see unshed tears still lingering in them, "Huh?" he turned to the Sycorax, "How 'bout it big fella? Are they dead?"

"We allow them to live," the leader replied tersely.

"Allow?" the Doctor snorted, "You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is. Cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis, you can hypnotize someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, you can't hypnotize them to death. Survival instinct's too strong."

"Blood control was just _one_ form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force."

"Well, yeah, you _could_ , yeah, you could do that, of course you could," the Doctor stepped down and turned to look at the leader, "But _why_? Look at these people," he gestured to the humans, speaking passionately, "These human beings. Consider their _potential_. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than..."

"That's the 'Lion King,'" Angel cut in softly. They'd gone on a bit of a Disney kick a while ago when they realized Angel had never even heard of it. They'd plopped down and had a marathon of classic Disney movies, the Lion King was one of her favorites, she rather loved Rafiki.

"Is it?" he gave her a smile, as though he knew full well that it was, before looking at the Sycorax again, "But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" the leader demanded.

"Or..." the Doctor trailed, grabbing a sword from one of the guards and running to the empty space in front of the TARDIS, raising it in the air, "I challenge you."

All the Sycorax burst out laughing.

"Oh, that struck a chord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"

The leader walked down the steps, pulling out his own sword, "You stand as this world's champion?"

He shrugged off his dressing gown, "Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up," and tossed it over to Rose, "So, you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?"

Angel had to give a small laugh at that as the leader hissed, but especially when the Doctor winked at her again...and she realized, winking, joking, quoting the 'Lion King,' he was trying to cheer her up, to _make_ her laugh. That was _just_ like him too. Yes, still the same old Doctor just with a different personality.

The Doctor and the leader knelt on the ground, with their swords, "For the planet?" it asked.

"For the planet," the Doctor agreed.

They stood and faced each other, holding their swords at the ready.

"Does he even know how to handle a sword?" Mickey asked.

"We were at war Mickey," Angel called back, uneasy with the knowledge, "There's few weapons we DON'T know how to use."

And she hated that. She hated guns, she hated weapons in general. It was her belief that using them just took away small parts of someone's soul in the process. She had seen it during the War, it was especially obvious in the younger Time Lords who fought, the 'children.' They were just...so _young_ , so impressionable...she could never imagine letting her own child fight in such a way, swore she'd _never_ ever let her son or daughter become a soldier like that. Not _ever_.

The Doctor and the leader ran at each other, fighting. After a few seconds the Doctor was thrown aside and the leader laughed. The Doctor just stood again and they continued.

"Look out!" Rose yelled as the leader swung his sword at the Doctor.

"Oh, yeah, _that_ helped," he called back sarcastically, "Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, _thanks_ ," they started fighting again, the Doctor climbing up the stairs backwards, leading the leader out, "Bit of fresh air?" he hit a button and a door opened, to a platform outside the ship. They kept fighting, the group and the Sycorax following until the leader managed to catch the Doctor slightly on the nose, he groaned.

Rose moved to run forward but Angel pulled her back, "If you stop the challenge then the Sycorax win the planet by default," she told the woman.

The Doctor nodded his thanks at her, wiping his nose and turning to the leader, clashing their swords together, locking them.

They both strained with effort before the Doctor was knocked backwards to the ground. The leader slashed at the Doctor's wrist, cutting his hand off. It fell down the side of the ship, sword and all. He watched it drop and looked back at the leader, stunned and annoyed, "You cut my hand off!"

"YAH!" the leader shouted, "Sycorax!"

The Doctor just got to his feet, "And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. 'Cos, quite by chance, I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy...to do this," he held up his stump of an arm, growing his hand right back.

"Witchcraft!"

"Time Lord."

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, grabbing one of the guard's swords and tossing it to him.

He caught it by the handle and spun it around, "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?"

"No arguments from me!" Rose smiled.

He turned back to the leader, "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand..." he assumed a Texan accent, "It's a fightin' hand!" he ran at the leader and the fight resumed. They fought a few more moments before the Doctor got him hard in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. The group winced as the leader groaned. The Doctor did it twice more, causing the leader to fall to the ground. He pointed his sword at the leader's throat, "I win."

"Then kill me," it groaned.

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"

"Yes."

He pushed the sword closer, angrier and more serious than they had ever seen him, "Swear on the blood of your species."

"I swear."

He grinned lightly, "There we are, then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" he jabbed the sword into the ground and turned to them.

"Bravo!" Harriet clapped.

"That says it all," Rose ran forward, "Bravo!"

Mickey looked over at Angel as she watched on sadly. She had moved to run forward as well, but Rose had bolted out first so she'd hung back.

"Yeah!" the Doctor grinned, "Not bad for a man in his jim-jams!" Rose helped him back into the gown, "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here?" he pulled out a satsuma from his pocket as Rose giggled.

"Mickey?" Angel called and looked over, "You may want to move over two steps to the left."

He frowned but did so anyway, stepping away from a large button on the wall.

"A satsuma!" the Doctor laughed, tossing the satsuma in his hand, "Ah, that friend of your mother's, he does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" they started walking back towards the door, "You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"

Behind them the Sycorax leader got to his feet, picking up his sword, roaring as he charged at them.

Without even turning around the Doctor lobbed the satsuma at a switch on the side of the ship beside Mickey, causing the ground beneath the leader to open, sending him tumbling to Earth. His smile faded as he stopped by the door and glanced at Angel, "No," he answered a question she had asked long ago, "No second chances," he turned and walked back in, "I'm _that_ sort of a man."

He strode through the ship till he stood before the TARDIS with the others, addressing the rest of the Sycorax, "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet...when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this: It. Is. Defended!"

And then they were all teleported away, materializing on a street near the Powell Estate.

"Where are we?" Rose looked around.

"We're just off Bloxom Road," Mickey laughed, "We're just round the corner, we did it!" he whooped.

The Doctor held out his hand as the spaceship engines started up, "Wait a minute...wait a minute..." the ship took off, flying away, and the Doctor grinned.

"Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah!" Rose jumped on Mickey's back, "Don't come back!"

"It is defended!" Mickey added, both of them laughing happily till Rose jumped off his back and hugged him, and then Alex as well.

Angel eyed them, before moving back to lean against the TARDIS, just watching as the Doctor approached Harriet.

"My Doctor," Harriet held her arms out.

"Prime Minister," he greeted, hugging her.

"Absolutely the same man," she remarked, pulling away after a moment. He smiled at her as they both looked up at the sky, "Are there many more out there?"

"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the Human Race is drawing attention to itself. Everyday you're sending out probes and messages and signals, this planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed...more and more," he looked at her, "You'd better get used to it."

"Rose!" Jackie called, running around the corner.

"Mum!" Rose ran to her.

"Oh!" the Doctor mock groaned, "Talking of trouble..."

"Oh, my God!" Jackie gasped, "You did it, Rose! Oh!"

The Doctor smiled, watching as Mickey joined Jackie and Rose.

"You did it too!" Rose laughed, "It was the tea! Fixed his head!"

"That was all I needed, cup o' tea," he grinned.

"I said so!" Jackie called.

"Yeah, you shoulda let Angel give him the tea when she wanted to," Mickey continued, nudging Rose, "But you were all, 'no he doesn't need tea' and 'we don't need your help' and 'it's all your fault' and…"

The Doctor's grin steadily faded, hearing that. He glanced over at Angel, just waiting by the TARDIS, keeping her distance from Rose and her family. He caught her gaze for a moment before she looked away.

"Shut up," Rose nudged him back, far too relieved to think about what had happened and what she'd said, how she'd treated Angel, far too caught up in the excitement and the thrill of their victory, before smiling at the Doctor, "Look at him!"

"Is it him, though?" Jackie asked, "Is it really the Doctor?" and then she noticed Harriet, "Oh, my God! It's the bleeding _Prime Minister_!"

"Come here, you," the Doctor walked towards them, going to hug the woman for a moment when Rose and Mickey joined in.

"Aww..." Jackie gushed, "Are you better?"

"I am, yeah," he nodded, before looking over at Angel, still standing apart, "Don't you wanna join us?"

Angel shook her head sadly, opening the TARDIS door behind her, "I don't want to see this…" she paused, looking back at his confused and hurt face, realizing how he'd taken her words so she added, "You won't either," before she threw one more glance at Harriet and Alex, stepping in and shutting the door behind her.

Alex moved to Harriet just then, "It's a message from Torchwood. They say they're ready."

Harriet closed her eyes briefly, opening them to see the Doctor looking concernedly at the TARDIS, Rose and her family chatting happily behind him.

"You _left_ me!" Jackie turned to Rose.

"I'm sorry!" she laughed.

"I had the rest of the _food_!"

The Doctor turned his gaze to Harriet, confused by Angel's words, knowing that the woman _must_ have something to do with it all.

"Tell them to fire," she said.

"Fire at will," Alex called into his comm..

Suddenly a large green beam of light shot loudly from five points on the ground, connecting in the middle and shooting up at the retreating Sycorax ship, destroying it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap...what will the Doctor do now? Well, we sort of know, but! We've still got the confrontation with Rose and the start of Doctor/Angel to look forward to. I hope you all enjoyed the little things the Doctor tried to do to cheer up Angel. Sweet :) Angel will definitely need (and get!) a Doctor hug but...as always happens with the Doctor...things tend to escalate and she'll get way more than just a hug -wink wink- But here's a question...how did the Doctor know Rose 'gave up on him' if he was unconscious? Well, we'll find out during the confrontation.


	6. The Christmas Invasion: Second Chances

"What is _that_?" Rose's eyes widened, staring in shock as the burning remains of the ship fell to Earth, "What's happening?"

Jackie put her hand over her mouth in horror at what had just happened, at what their beloved Prime Minister had just ordered.

The Doctor turned from the sky back to Harriet, walking towards her angrily, "That was _murder_!"

"That was _defense_ ," she argued, "It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

"But they were _leaving_!" he countered, still angry.

Now he knew, now he understood Angel's words, why she'd hidden away in the TARDIS. He'd noticed...it had been quite obvious when she'd faced the Daleks...that she didn't like death. She understood that everything had a time, that everything, all things, must die at one point or another, accepted it...but it didn't mean she liked it. It didn't mean she enjoyed _watching_ it happen. Even with all the power of the Vortex running through her she hadn't _killed_ any of the Daleks, their most hated enemies, but _stopped_ them. She couldn't bear to watch as Harriet ordered the death of the Syrcorax, enemy or not. She couldn't bear the fact that there was nothing they could have done to stop it happening, not in the time they had before Harriet gave the order.

She had been right again, he _hadn't_ wanted to see that.

"You said yourself, Doctor," Harriet pulled him from his thoughts, "They'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today, Mr. Llewellyn and the major. They were _murdered_. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case, we have to defend ourselves."

"Britain's Golden Age," he remarked disdainfully.

"It comes with a price."

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run, as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming: the Human Race."

"Those are the people I represent," she said, offended, "I did it on _their_ behalf."

"Then I should've stopped you."

"What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"

He stepped towards her once more, "Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones. 'Cos I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word."

"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met. But I don't think you're quite capable of _that_."

"She's right you know," a soft voice called from behind them. The Doctor turned to see Angel standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, half hanging out, watching them sadly, "Not a _single_ word," she added as he frowned at her, " _Six_ words."

He blinked, thinking, before nodding.

"I don't think so," Harriet shook her head.

"Six words," he agreed.

"Stop it!"

"Six," he turned and walked around her, towards Alex, taking off his earpiece and speaking to him quietly, "Don't you think she looks tired?"

He turned and walked off again, leaving Alex confused and Harriet alarmed. He paused by Rose, Mickey, and Jackie, looking back as Harriet rushed to Alex, "What did he say?" she asked urgently.

"Oh, uh, nothing, really…" he stumbled over his words.

"What did he say?!"

"I…nothing! I don't know!"

"Doctor!" she turned, but he just looked at her, "Doctor, what did you…what was…what did he say?!" she spun back to Alex.

The Doctor turned to Rose, "Head on back, I want to put on a change of clothes, meet you there," he walked off towards the TARDIS as Rose gave him one last look and left with her family. He smiled at Angel as he reached the doors.

She stepped back, letting him in, "Keep track," she told him, "I think...27."

He paused a bit in thought at that before shrugging and continuing on, wondering what his 27th outfit would be.

~8~

The Doctor stood in the enormous wardrobe of the TARDIS, shuffling through the clothes, looking for an outfit that would fit the new him. He picked up a soldier costume and held it out, before shaking his head.

~8~

Mickey, Rose, and Jackie prepared Christmas dinner, Mickey carving the turkey as they hurried to get everything ready.

~8~

The Doctor frowned as he shuffled through some more clothes, he had just put down his 26th consideration and was slowly growing hopeless that the very next one would be _it_ …when he spotted a brown suit out of the corner of his eye. He walked over and scooped it up, grabbing a long brown duster behind it and smiled with delight, dashing off to change.

~8~

Rose served the sprouts at the table, glancing at the door, waiting for their guests to arrive.

~8~

The Doctor slowly walked up to a mirror, hands in his pockets, dressed in his new brown suit and jacket. He turned, looking at his reflection before leaning forward and running a hand over his face, examining it. He ran his tongue over his teeth and turned his head from side-to-side, admiring himself. Raising his eyebrows, sniffing, and nodding, before heading out.

"You're really getting better at this," he called as he entered the control room where he'd left Angel to go change, "I mean really, _27th_ , spot on and…" he stopped short, seeing the grilling up and resting on the console with no Angel in sight. He walked forward, peering through the bottom to see Angel kneeling above something, "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up the tea," she remarked quietly, though he could hear a sort of thickening in her words, like she'd been stuffed up and trying to hide it, "Didn't have time to feed it to you…had to improvise. It got everywhere. Just trying to clean it…Need to make sure everything's ok, everything's _fixed_ and..."

He frowned, "Are you alright?"

"Of course," she called, but he detected a sniffle at the end, "I just...I want to fix this _one thing_. I just want _one thing_ to be ok and..."

"Angel..." he called gently.

A moment later she burst into tears.

"Hey, hey," he called, crouching by the grilling, "Come here," she slowly made her way to him as he helped her up. He pulled her closer, his hearts breaking at seeing her in such a state, he could venture what was the matter, but still he asked, "Now what's wrong?"

She just shook her head and buried her face in his chest, all he could do was hold her as she cried, trying his best to comfort her.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel stepped into Jackie's flat a short while later, shutting the door behind them. Rose looked up and smiled at them, seeming to have forgotten all the tension from before. The Doctor gave her a small smile, though it fell off his face when Angel just excused herself to go help Mickey carry something from the kitchen, avoiding Rose in the process.

~8~

Rose gave a startled yelp as the Christmas cracker she pulled with the Doctor banged. He won, but he passed on the prize to her anyway, "Oh, that's yours..." he remarked.

Rose pulled out a pink party hat, "It's pink! Mum, it should be yours!" but she put it on anyway.

The Doctor glanced at Angel to see her beside Mickey at the table with a small smile, uncomfortable though she was, she made an effort to put on a happy face.

"Look, it's Harriet Jones!" Rose shouted, pointing to the TV.

The Doctor pulled out a pair of thick rimmed, brainy specs and put them on, facing the TV.

"Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?" a man asked.

"No," she said, "Now, can we talk about other things?"

"Is it true you're unfit for office?"

"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health! I don't know where these stories are coming from! And a vote of no confidence...is completely unjustified."

"Are you going to resign?"

"On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel _fine_."

"It's Beth," Jackie called from the phone, "She says go and look outside."

The Doctor pulled off his glasses and turned back around as Rose asked, "Why?"

"I dunno, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!"

They all got up and headed out to the courtyard to see a few other people around as well, snow falling from the heavens. They laughed and looked up, seeing meteors in the sky.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Rose smiled up at the sky, "What are they, meteors?"

The Doctor turned to answer, pausing when he saw Angel had hung back to stand by Jackie and Mickey, she'd been giving Rose a wide berth the whole night. He felt his hearts constrict at that, that sad-but-trying-so-hard-to-seem-happy expression _killing_ him. Angel was meant to smile, he'd decided, she was always meant to smile and laugh and be happy. Right now, she wasn't, and that wouldn't do at all.

"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere," he mumbled, "This isn't snow, it's ash."

"Ok, not so beautiful…"

"This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now, everyone saw it. Everything's new."

"And what about you? What are you gonna do next?"

"Well...back to the TARDIS...same old life," he shrugged.

"On…on your own?" she continued tentatively.

"I'll never be on my own," he said, a serious note to his voice, "I've got Angel," he gave Rose a meaningful look that she seemed to miss. He was not about to lose Angel, not to anyone, not _because_ of anyone, not even Rose, "Why, you wanna come?"

"Well, yeah," she nodded.

"Do you, though?" he continued, growing even more serious.

"Yeah!" she cheered, having not noticed.

"Well, than that depends…"

"On what?"

"On you."

"I just said I wanted to come Doctor," she rolled her eyes at him.

"No, not that," he said, now completely serious. She looked at him, confused, "You _blamed_ her for all of this when it _wasn't_ her fault."

"She told you?" she asked quietly.

"No," he shook his head, "She didn't say word, could barely talk actually, she was crying that hard."

"She was crying?" Rose frowned, guilt creeping into her.

She hadn't meant to make Angel cry, she...she knew she'd been terrible to the girl, so harsh and biting and she knew that being scared of losing the Doctor, in shock of everything that had happened with the Daleks, and terrified of what was coming with the Sycorax was no excuse. She'd just...lashed out, as she always did, at the closest person, trying to make herself feel less responsible. It was wrong, and it was cruel, and she was _so_ sorry that she'd done it. She didn't even like _thinking_ about the things she'd said to Angel, wanted to forget those words had even come out of her mouth, so she'd tried to ignore what happened, to not mention it, hoping it would just go away.

Even though she knew that never worked.

"I could _hear_ you in there Rose," he told her.

And it was true.

He'd been able to hear _everything_ , even what was being said in other rooms given his Time Lord hearing. He'd heard Angel trying to give him tea. He'd heard Mickey and Jackie trying to warn Rose away from the remarks she made. He'd even heard Mickey comforting Angel for which he'd never been more thankful of the idiot. But...he'd heard Rose. He'd heard her speaking of her fears to her mother, her worries about what had happened, heard how upset she was over his near-death state after he'd woken, heard how overwhelmed she was by everything. And he could understand, she was human, the things they'd seen in the past did not amount at all to what had recently happened and he knew how humans handled things. But...it didn't change the fact that he'd heard _everything_ she'd said to Angel too.

"All the while I was sleeping," he nodded, "I _heard_ what you said. How could you do that to her?"

And what's more, he'd heard everything Angel had said to him.

"She was already blaming herself," he added quietly, his hearts breaking as he recalled her heartbroken words, her pleas for him to wake up safely, her soft cries when everything got to be too much but not wanting the humans to know she was afraid. He'd heard her every time she'd spoken, every time she'd whispered to him, apologizing over and over for everything, how sorry she was, how it was her fault...

"She was?" Rose blinked back tears.

"You have _no idea_ how many times she apologized to me for it all happening, even _before_ you yelled at her. It was _my_ decision to take in the Vortex to free her. She'd _barely_ gotten a few _months_ in her new body and the one before that was chained and imprisoned for _50 years_. I wanted to give her the chance to _live_ ," he fell silent for a moment, staring at her harshly, "And Rose..." he shook his head, "YOU were the one about to open the Heart of the TARDIS. I checked the programing on the hologram Angel rigged up, it was only set to go off if someone was already trying to open the Heart," he gave her a pointed look, "Angel, by doing what she did, she stopped all this from being on YOUR head."

Rose's eyes widened as she gasped at that, she hadn't looked at the situation at all like that. But...it was _true_. If she had opened the Heart of the TARDIS, it really would have destroyed her. It had nearly killed Angel and she was a TIME LADY. There was no way a human would have survived...unless the Doctor tried to save her too. And he would. Because he was the Doctor. And then they'd be right back where they were now, only...he would have died because of HER and not Angel.

"Oh my God," she breathed, everything hitting her so much worse as she realized just how close she'd come to everything being on her instead.

Angel hadn't _stolen_ anything from her, she'd _saved_ her from them.

And she'd treated the girl so badly.

She felt sick.

"I'll take you along on two conditions," the Doctor continued, seeing the cogs working, seeing the realization dawning in Rose's eyes.

It was hard not to get angry with her, but...Angel wasn't and Angel had been the one targeted by Rose. Angel was admittedly hurt, even slightly confused, though mostly hurt. She didn't understand how humans could feel one way but act another. To her, Rose's reaction had been more of the girl genuinely being cross with her than trying to mask her fears with attitude. And even then she didn't want to upset Rose even more, she was just...too good.

So, for her, he'd try to keep his temper in check. He could understand humans more, he knew where Rose's mind had gone and how she'd dealt with the situation in...such a human way.

She was human.

"Anything," Rose said quickly, eager for some way to make her actions up, not only to the Doctor, but to Angel.

"You apologize to her. And you don't _ever_ do anything like that again. Understood?"

Rose nodded and turned on her heel to go talk to Angel.

He watched from a distance as Rose gently tugged the Time Lady a few feet away and tearfully apologized, explaining why she had acted the way she had and speaking of how it wasn't right to treat her that way at all. Angel, as he knew she would, just nodded and gave Rose an understanding smile, she was the most forgiving soul he knew, and the two women hugged before laughing and walking back to the Doctor, arm-in-arm, coming to stand beside him, Angel between them.

"So we all set?" he asked.

"Yep!" Rose grinned.

"You're never gonna stay, are you?" Mickey said quietly and they looked over to see him looking at the ground.

Rose frowned, "There's just so much out there. So much to see...I've got to."

He smiled, understanding, but still not happy, "Yeah."

Angel just gave him a sad smile as well, wanting so badly to invite him along, but knowing it wasn't her place to do so.

She wasn't a pilot.

"Well, I reckon you're mad," Jackie said, "The lot of you. It's like you go looking for trouble."

The Doctor rushed up to her, "Trouble's just the bits in between!" he put an arm around her and looked up at the sky, "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me. All those planets...creatures and horizons...I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes..." he walked back to Rose and Angel, standing back on the other side of Angel, "And it is gonna be... _fantastic_."

Rose smiled at the use of his old catchphrase. The Doctor just reached out and took Angel's hand, looking up at the stars. Rose frowned a bit at the action but figured, she'd done enough harm and hurt to Angel to last a _lifetime_ , she could give her this. From now on, her and the Doctor would _just_ be friends. Besides, with the way he'd been acting and focused on Angel since he woke up…this Doctor was _her_ sort of man. And...

He really wasn't HER sort of man either.

She understood now, her feelings, it was the confusion of the moment, the shock of losing him so suddenly, it hit her all at once, so fast that she thought she might be feeling it so intensely because she felt something _more_ for the Doctor than just friendship...but now that it had all settled down, she didn't feel that way any longer. It made her realize...he was an amazing man, probably the most amazing man she'd ever met but...it just...didn't...click, the two of them. She didn't feel that spark that she always heard love was meant to be. And she could see, he _clearly_ felt it with Angel and for that, she couldn't be happier for her two friends no...her friend and her _sister_.

"So, where're we gonna go first?" she smiled.

"Um...that way!" he pointed up at a star in the sky.

Angel grinned, "No, I think more..." and pushed his hand to the left, "There!"

"That way?" Rose pointed.

Angel just laughed, nudging her hand to the right.

~8~

The Doctor stood in the TARDIS, looking at the console, just refueling some more, giving Rose a night home with her mum for Christmas.

Angel popped out from under the grilling, having finished the last bit of cleaning, "All done," she grinned, taking his offered hand and hauling herself out of the hole, dropping the grilling down. She looked up at him, "Anything else that needs to be done?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "One more thing."

She waited a moment, but he said nothing, just looked at her in thought, "What is it?"

"Earlier…I was weakened and the TARDIS didn't work, that could be really dangerous…"

"Alright…so what do you want to do?"

"I want you to bond to the TARDIS too," he said, watching as her mouth dropped open in shock, of _anything_ he could have said, he knew that was NOT what she expected, even being a precog.

"Doctor…" she shook her head, "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"But…the ONLY time _two people_ bond to the _same_ TARDIS is when…"

Is when they take a Mate.

"I know," he smiled at her.

On Gallifrey, TARDISes weren't just transport ships that shared a connection to its pilots, they were _alive_ , they became a part of their pilot's _life_! Two people would typically only bond to the same TARDIS when that TARDIS was meant to become a part of the family so to speak. More often than not their children would become pilots of it as well. It was a family object, meant to keep an entire family safe, it was where the notion of the pilots designating 'companions' came from. The TARDIS would only protect those the pilot trusted and cared for, most often their children but also their trusted friends, their 'companions.'

And she knew what this meant, he wasn't asking her to break tradition and to bond to the TARDIS without Mating to him, he was _literally_ asking her to become his Mate as well.

That was...a _very_ serious thing to do.

She blinked, "But we can't."

"Why not?" he frowned, hurt, his hearts on the verge of breaking.

"Doctor I…"

"Theta."

"What?" she breathed, praying that _hadn't_ just happened.

His emotions were high, she knew, she didn't want him to rush into this…it was _far_ too serious a matter to take lightly and…she hadn't gotten the chance to actually _talk_ to him about her own feelings for him, his possible feelings for her from _before_ he regenerated. She didn't want this to just be an aftereffect of the regeneration, it was so sudden and...

"My name is Theta," he told her.

"No," she shook her head quickly, "No. Don't do this. _Don't_!"

To tell someone your name…it was absolutely _forbidden_ on Gallifrey.

 _Except_ for Mating.

The _only ones_ who knew your name were your parents and you, not even your _siblings_ knew your name, being raised to refer to each other as 'brother' or 'sister' or small nicknames and the like.

It was _that_ sacred of a secret.

The only time they were _allowed_ to or _able_ to tell someone else their name was when they took a Mate, beginning the process of trust and connection that Mates were known for. It was _the most sacred secret_ a Mated pair could share…

"I'm sorry," he sighed, turning around to look at the console, "I _know_ it's sudden and unexpected, I mean, you don't know what sort of man I am now, neither do I for that matter. But what I _do_ know is that...when I saw you crying, _all_ I wanted to do was make you feel better, cheer you up. And when I realized it was _Rose_ that made you sad I…I was gonna leave her on Earth, so she couldn't hurt you anymore. I care about you, so much. And it's not just this version of me, I did before," he shook his head, not noticing her gasp behind him at that admission, "I just…I couldn't _express_ it, I was too hurt, too scarred, too broken from the War. But I'm _better_ now, YOU made me better, you healed me and fit me back together and mended pieces I didn't even _know_ had been broken and..." he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry Angel, I just…"

"Nella," came the quiet whisper.

He stiffened, his eyes widening for a moment before he turned to face her, stunned, "What?"

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes, "My name…" she took a breath, "Is Nella."

"Then…" he swallowed, scarcely daring to hope, "You accept?"

"We need to take this slow," she warned, stepping closer to him, also telling him that she _did_ indeed accept, "Do this _properly_."

"Of course," he nodded, "Yes!"

Before he quickly reached out and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply, savoring the experience, committing evert facet of it to his considerable memory, every emotion, every thought (few though they were), every sensation...Angel had once let it slip that she'd had dreams of kissing him, he had to admit the same, for quite some time. And this, right here, right now, was _so much better_ than any dream his vivid imagination had come up with.

Angel found herself quite breathless as they pulled apart, but she had to say one thing floating through her mind, "That isn't exactly taking it slow."

"Right…sorry..." he nodded, stepping back, realizing he was probably moving far too fast and...

Angel laughed, walking up to him, and putting her arms around his neck as he confusedly put his around her waist, "I wasn't _complaining_. I was just _stating_...that wasn't _slow._ "

He beamed at her, leaning forward to kiss her again, _much_ slower.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we've got Mating! :) In my Academic Series we had Bonding, a 5-step process involving little rituals and connections. In the Lunar Cycle we had Linking, an instant reaction between Time Lord and Lady that connects them emotionally and mentally and can go in any number of directions. Now we have Mating, meaning that Angel will now be the Doctor's Mate (capital M) as well. Believe me the difference between Mate and mate (friend) will be really important (-cough- Donna -cough- lol). 
> 
> To give just a little more info on Mating, it will be a 3-step process that, unlike Bonding (which happened almost entirely before the series started), we'll get to see progress as the saga goes on. It'll be very slow going for our new pairing, but one filled with so much fluff that I squeal a little bit thinking about it :) I originally had more about Mating, exactly what it is, in New Earth, but...reading through it, the place I had them talking about it just didn't...flow...right, so I moved it to Girl in the Fireplace, so that is when we will officially find out the process of Mating (sorry!). But! To make up for that, we do get a very sweet scene between the Doctor and Angel in the TARDIS before they take off with Rose, I think you'll enjoy it :)
> 
> And now we know Angel's name! I hope you like it. Idk why, but for some reason I appear to be stuck on 2 syllable names that end in 'ah', Kat-tah, Lu-nah, Nel-lah, lol.
> 
> Also, I don't know if anyone noticed but...in previous stories I always described regeneration as orangey-gold light or a golden/orange burst or something like that, here though I made it separate, I made it JUST orange. And with me, there's always a reason. Won't say what though :)


	7. New Earth: Cassandra Returns

The Doctor couldn't help the grin on his face as he watched Angel working away at the console, with a soft smile of her own, "And what's got you all smiles?" he asked, walking over to her, standing beside her, their arms touching.

She looked up at him, her hearts skipping a beat as she saw that sparkle in his eye that was only ever there when he looked at her, "You."

He nearly beamed at that, his hearts racing, "Me?"

She nodded, "You always make me smile," she informed him before turning to lean on the console so she could talk to him properly, "Half the time though it's because Rose said that I should just smile and nod when you talk and I don't understand what you've said...which happens a lot," he gave her a little pout at that, "But..." she smiled, "MOST of the time it's because...you just make me happy."

This time he beamed fully, his hearts feeling like they were going to burst out of his chest at the admission. _He_ made her happy, mad old him. He felt warm, nearly giddy, at the thought that just him being him could make her smile, "You make me happy too," he told her, staring deep into her eyes so she wouldn't doubt him, "More than you could possibly know."

"I'm glad," she said softly, "I...I never ever thought someone would _want_ to Mate to _me_ ," she admitted as well.

He knew that though, she'd told him she thought she'd make a rubbish Mate when she'd told him more about her sister after they'd met Pete Tyler. There were two examples of what humans would define as marriage on Gallifrey, pretty much in the same Earth terms, there was marriage though those tended to be preplanned by the families, marriages of convenience to ensure the continuation of the family line. And then there was Mating, basically choosing for _yourself_ who you wanted to spend your lives with, which made the connection of Mating all the more powerful.

"Even _before_ the War I could never quite picture it," she added, shaking her head thoughtfully at him, "And then you come along, dropping out of the sky, and suddenly...I CAN picture it. And...suddenly I can't imagine it with anyone else. Because I don't _want_ anyone else. I just want _you_."

"Good," he grinned, "Because I just want you too and..." he dragged out the 'and,' "Now that I've got you, I'm never ever gonna let you go, you know," he blinked, "Probably should have warned you about that before I asked you to Mate though..."

She laughed lightly, "I don't mind, I hope you don't let me go," she added playfully, knowing he was actually being dead serious.

He reached out and gently took her hands in his, needing her to understand how true it was, how much he meant it, "You know, I think I figured out the very last piece of the sort of man I am now," he said quietly, his voice nearly a whisper.

She tilted her head, "And what's that?"

He lifted her right hand to his lips, placing a sweet kiss to the back of it, "I'm a man who will _never_ disappoint his Mate, ever. I swear it to you Nella. I will _never_ let you down. I will never let you go."

She took in a subtle intake of breath, she didn't think she'd ever get used to someone actually using her NAME, "I don't think you could disappoint me even if you tried..." she smiled, "Theta."

He let out a soft laugh, joy bubbling in him at hearing her say his name. He couldn't measure how irritated he'd gotten with his 'wife' on Gallifrey only able to call him 'husband' or some other title like that because he'd refused to tell her that sacred secret. Hearing his NAME, hearing it falling so naturally from Angel's lips... _nothing_ could compare, "But I _do_ promise you that."

She nodded, freeing her left hand to place it on his cheek, just stroking it gently with her thumb, still getting used to the new him, "I know."

He leaned in and kissed her softly, the kiss growing more loving and full of promises as each second went on...

Till the TARDIS gave a gentle hum.

Angel laughed softly, pulling back, "I think she's getting impatient to leave," she remarked, resting a hand on the console, "Is that it girl? You ready to get out there, start a new adventure?"

"Maybe it's just the excitement of bonding to you," the Doctor suggested.

As though understanding him, the TARDIS gave another hum.

Angel laughed, "Well I'm excited too," she told the box and him, smiling at him as she gave the console a small pat, "We should get on though. The longer we stay on Earth, the harder it is to leave."

"I'm glad you like it so much," he remarked, pleased that his favorite planet of all was as beloved by her as it was by him.

"Humans are interesting," she shrugged, "I can't understand them for the life of me but...that's part of their charm, I think. They're confusing and they make you _want_ to understand them."

He shook his head gently at that, humans were, by far, the simplest species he'd come across in his long life, but he could see it. He could see how new and exciting they were, through Angel's eyes. She found them fascinating and he learned new things about them through her, through her comments and observations, little things he hadn't noticed before till she asked about them. She found them, to quote his old self, fantastic, and now...he could see it too.

He reached out and pulled a lever, the two of them taking a moment to watch the rotor rise and fall as the engines started up.

She hadn't been lying, she was nearly _buzzing_ with excitement. As soon as they were in the Vortex she'd be able to complete the psychic link with the TARDIS. It was sort of a tradition to bond while in flight through the Vortex. She was a bit sad though, she had wanted to ask Mickey to join them, as _her_ companion, as her first ever companion, but she wasn't _technically_ an official pilot _yet_ and…knowing the Doctor's timing...they'd go up and end up back on Earth 20 years later and then where would she be? Poor Mickey would have spent all that time waiting…no, it was better to bond first and ask as soon as they saw Mickey again…which she could just feel would be very soon.

~8~

Rose stood by her mother and Mickey, all packed up and ready to get going, "Have you got everything?" Jackie asked.

"I've got everything, don't worry," Rose smiled.

"Be careful," Jackie pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry, I've got those two looking after me," Rose hugged her tight, "And don't forget, you got to call Mo about that…"

"Oh, never mind Mo..." Jackie waved her off.

~8~

Angel pulled another lever and the rotor sped up. They glanced at each other, grinning proudly at the old ship, before Angel ran to the doors, "Rose come on!" she called out to the girl.

"Ok," she nodded back to Angel before turning to her mother, "I'm going now. I love you!"

"I love you," Jackie kissed her on the cheek.

"Love you, love you..." Rose laughed, turning to kiss Mickey goodbye.

"Love you," he said quietly.

"Bye," she replied softly, before walking toward the TARDIS, stepping in as Angel moved to the side.

"Bye Mickey!" Angel shouted, waving at them as Rose shrugged off her bag, "Bye Jackie! Um..." she frowned a moment in thought, "See you later...you um...crocodile?"

Mickey laughed, "It's 'see you later alligator.'"

She nodded, smiling at him in thanks, remembering it now, "In a while crocodile!" she pointed at him.

"That's it!" he gave her a little cheer, pointing back at her, pleased that she'd used _that_ expression to say goodbye, _he'd_ taught her it and, now, he realized she'd actually _listened_ to him. That was nice.

"You take good care of her!" Jackie called over the sound of the engines nearing dematerialization, "You hear me?"

"Not even a bee sting," Angel promised, closing the doors and running up to the console where Rose and the Doctor were waiting. He pulled down a lever and the TARDIS began to fade, Jackie and Mickey watching till it was gone.

"So, where are we going?" Rose asked, excited.

"Further than we've ever gone before," the Doctor replied with a grin.

Rose glanced at Angel and smiled widely.

~8~

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS onto a windy, grassy area, gaping at the advanced skyline before her.

The Doctor and Angel stepped out behind her, watching her reaction, "It's five billion and twenty three..." Angel stated, "The galaxy M87," she smiled, "Welcome to New Earth."

Cars flew past them towards the futuristic city across the water.

"That's just..." Rose blinked, unable to find the words, "That's…" she started laughing in amazement.

"Not bad," the Doctor nodded, "Not bad at all!"

"That's _amazing_! I'll never get used to this. _Never_. Different ground beneath my feet!" she started hopping in place, "Different sky...what's that smell?"

The Doctor crouched down to pull up some grass, "Apple grass."

"Apple grass!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"That's beautiful!" Rose turned to Angel and the Doctor to see them standing beside her, the Doctor's arm around Angel's waist as she leaned a bit against him, "Oh, I love this. Can I just say..." she walked around and nudged her way in between them to put her arms around their shoulders, wanting to be able to hug them _both_ , "...travelling with you two...I _love_ it."

"Us too," Angel smiled before grabbing Rose's hand, "Come on!" she pulled her away, dashing off as the Doctor chased after them.

~8~

In the basement of a hospital the trio was being watched through a red tinted orb by a pale man covered with red tattoos. His eye widened, "Human! She's pureblood _human_ ," he twisted a control to zoom in on Rose, "Closer. Closer!"

~8~

A small robotic spider crept closer to where the Doctor, Angel, and Rose were sprawled on the grass. The Doctor was lying on his coat, his arm wrapped around Angel's waist as she laid beside him, in between him and Rose, just looking at the sky, Rose's eyes on the city, "So, the year five billion," the Doctor began, "The sun expands, the Earth gets roasted…"

"That was our first trip!" Rose smiled at him.

"We had chips!" he recalled as they laughed at the memory, Angel smiling as she recalled the story the Doctor had told her of it, "So anyway…planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the Human Race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh, yeah, they get all nostalgic, big revival movement...but find this place!" he sat up for a better look, Angel just laying on her back instead, "Same size as the Earth...same air...same orbit...lovely! Call goes out, the humans move in!"

"What's the city called?"

"New New York."

"Oh, come on," Rose scoffed.

"It is! It's the City of New New York!"

"The...fifteenth New York since the original, isn't it?" Angel remarked, her eyes closed, just basking in the sun.

The Doctor grinned, "Which makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York," Rose looked at him, "What?"

"You're so different," she commented.

"New New Doctor," he laughed.

"I have to say," Angel opened her eyes to look at him, "I rather like this New New Doctor."

He beamed down at her, reaching out to stroke her cheek a moment before putting a strand of hair that had escaped her clip in the wind behind her ear, "Me too," and then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Though I must admit, I _do_ miss Mr. Brooding."

"Mr. Brooding?" the Doctor asked, incredulous, as Rose let out a giggle, quickly trying to cover it up as he looked between the two of them, "Is that what you two called me behind my back?"

"Oh no," Rose remarked.

"Not ever," Angel added.

They were serious for a moment, before laughing once more.

"Oh yeah, well, would 'Mr. Brooding' do _this_?" he replied, before reaching out and tickling the two of them.

~8~

"Impossible!" a female voice gasped at the image, "I recognize that child. Her face. Show me her face!"

"Closer," the man controlled the spider, bringing it closer, "Closer! Face! Face! Face!"

~8~

Rose rolled away from the Doctor's tickle attack and got up, "Can we go and visit New New York, so good they named it twice?"

The Doctor ceased his attack on Angel, getting up as well, "Well, I thought we might go there first," he pointed to a rather large building on the coast before reaching down and helping Angel up.

"Why?" Rose squinted at it, "What is it?"

"Some sort of hospital," Angel replied, picking up the Doctor's coat and helping him into it, "It's got the universal symbol for hospital on the side of it."

"Oh," Rose nodded, catching sight of a green moon painted onto the building.

"I got this," the Doctor showed her the psychic paper, "A message on the psychic paper."

He and Rose watched as 'Ward 26, please come' scrawled across the paper, Angel not being able to see it, though the Doctor had told her the message before.

"Someone wants to see you," Rose commented.

Angel blinked in thought, "A familiar…face…"

He smiled at that, "A good one or a bad one?"

She smiled as well, "Good, I think."

"Hmm!" Rose grinned, pleased that it wouldn't be some sort of enemy like the Daleks again, "And I thought we were just sightseeing. Come on then! Let's go and buy some grapes," she linked her arm through theirs and led them off towards the hospital.

"Why do we need grapes?" Angel asked with a small frown of confusion.

Rose just laughed and tugged her on.

~8~

"Rose Tyler!" the woman gasped, "I knew it! That dirty blonde assassin!"

"She's coming here mistress!" the man cried.

"This is beyond coincidence! This is _destiny_. At last I can be revenged on that little…"

~8~

"Bit rich coming from you," Rose said to the Doctor as they walked into reception.

"What is?" Angel looked at Rose.

"Him," she nodded at the Doctor, "Not liking hospitals."

Angel paused a moment, thinking, "That's...irony right?" she asked Rose, "You think it's ironic?"

Rose smiled, "Yeah."

"Because, as a Doctor, he should love hospitals!" Angel worked it out.

"Exactly!" Rose cheered, holding up a hand to Angel who high-fived her back, now knowing what a high-five was.

"I can't help it!" he defended, "I don't like hospitals, they give me the creeps!"

"I'm not much of a fan either," Angel added though, now starting to look around hesitantly, "Not all the people who bid for me and the Dalek just kept us locked up."

The Doctor's face darkened, taking her hand and holding it tightly. He knew what she was implying. She'd never really talked about the people who had captured her and the Dalek or the others besides Van Statten that had gotten their hands on her over the years. But now, to hear a _hint_ of it, to hear that she had probably been dissected at one point or another…she squeezed his hand back, instantly soothing his murderous thoughts, whatever had happened was in the past, clearly where Angel wanted to leave it.

"The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes," came the announcement over the speakers, "Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted."

"Very smart," Rose eyed the place, trying her best to change the topic, she had gathered exactly what the Doctor had, "Not exactly NHS."

"No shop," the Doctor groaned, "I like the little shop!"

"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything."

"The Human Race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war."

Rose stared at a cat-nurse walking by, nodding politely at her as she did, "They're _cats_ …" she murmured, pointing at them.

"Now, don't stare...think what you look like to them..." the Doctor chastised, looking her up and down.

"Like a pink weasel in a blonde wig," Angel replied promptly, answering the Doctor's question.

Rose looked at her, horrified, and looked down at herself.

"Pink and yellow…" the Doctor nodded, before he pointed over her shoulder, "That's where I'd put the shop! Right there!" Rose turned around to look where he'd pointed, only for the Doctor to grab Angel's hand and walk over to the lift, "Ward 26, thanks!" he called up when they got inside.

~8~

"Override controls," the man said.

~8~

"Hold on!" Rose shouted, rushing to join them in the lift, but the doors already shut, "Hold on!"

"Oh, too late," the Doctor called down to her, "We're going up."

"It's alright! There's another lift."

"Ward 26," Angel shouted, "Don't get lost!"

"And watch out for the disinfectant," the Doctor added.

"Watch out for what?" Rose's distant voice reached them.

"The disinfectant!"

"The what?"

"The di…"

Angel put a hand on his arm, smirking a little, "She'll find out."

He had to laugh, she certainly would.

~8~

Rose stepped onto the lift, awkwardly looking around, "Um...Ward 26. Thanks..."

The doors shut and the lift went _down_.

~8~

"Commence stage one: disinfection," a computer announced.

A green light turned on and the Doctor and Angel were soaked in a shower of disinfectant, both perfectly calm, rinsing their hair, smoothing their hands through it.

~8~

"Commence stage one: disinfection."

Rose screamed as disinfectant poured down over her, frantically smacking the walls till the shower turned off.

~8~

A white powder suddenly fell onto the two Time Lords, poofing into the air around them.

Angel laughed, clapping her hands and watching the powder puff off it.

~8~

Rose squeezed her eyes shut, shocked, and more than a bit disgusted, as the powder fell on her.

~8~

A blow-dryer turned on, blasting the Doctor and Angel with warm air. The Doctor laughed as Angel tried to hide behind him, her hair whipping around her, having fallen out of the clip during the shower. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her out, holding her before him as the air blasted them.

~8~

After the initial shock of the air suddenly assailing her, Rose gently started trying to tidy her hair.

~8~

The lift doors slid open on Ward 26 and the Doctor and Angel headed out, both looking very well groomed, though Angel's hair had more of a poof to it as she tried to clip it back again.

~8~

Rose took a step out at what seemed to be a cellar of some kind, still pulling at her hair, when someone called out to her, "The human child is clean."

She looked up to see a pale man with red tattoos down the end of the corridor, "Um...I'm looking for Ward 26..."

"This way, Rose Tyler," he hurried off.

Rose knelt and picked up a metal rod before following the odd man apprehensively.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel walked arm-in-arm into Ward 26, following one of the cat-nurses, "Nice place," he remarked, looking around, "No shop downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one, just a shop. So people can…shop."

"You're rambling," Angel whispered to him, he just winked at her.

"The hospital is a place of _healing_ ," the cat-nurse replied, shocked at the suggestion.

"A shop does some people the world of good," he shrugged, "Not me."

"Or me," Angel agreed.

"Other people though..."

The cat-nurse led them off, down the Ward, past a completely red patient, "The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help. And to mend…"

The Doctor slowed at a bed where an extremely fat, extremely gray, man was laying.

"Excuse me!" a very stern looking woman approached them angrily, "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York."

"That's Petrifold Regression, right?" the Doctor asked, nodding at the Duke.

"I'm dying, sir," he replied, "A lifetime of charity and abstinence. And it ends like _this_."

"Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance," the woman added.

"I thought abstinence meant self-restraint and moderation," Angel frowned.

"And?" the woman shook her head, not sure what the woman was asking.

"Well he's rather large for living in moderation," Angel stated.

The woman gaped at her as the Doctor tried to hold in his laughter at her blunt reply, while she had gotten better at realizing social cues, knowing when others were joking or being rhetorical or ironic, she wasn't quite _there_ when it came to social faux pas and whether to speak what was on her mind or not.

"Frau Clovis!" the Duke groaned. The woman threw one more glare at Angel before hurrying to his side, grasping his hand, "I'm so weak!"

"Sister Jatt!" the woman turned to the cat-nurse, "A little privacy, please!"

Sister Jatt just turned to lead the Doctor and Angel away, "He'll be up and about in no time."

"I doubt it," the Doctor stopped a little ways away, "Petrifold Regression? He's turning to stone. There won't be a cure for...oh...a thousand years? He might be up and about, but only as a statue..."

"Have faith in the Sisterhood," Jatt said softly, when Angel caught sight of something at the end of the Ward and slowly made her way to it, "But is there no one here you recognize?" the Doctor barely heard her question as he watched Angel slowly approach a very familiar sight and crouch down, "It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient."

"No," he said quietly, "I think we've found him."

She turned to see Angel was crouching down before the Face of Boe, her hand gently resting on the glass of his container.

"Novice Hame," Jatt nodded at the cat-nurse sitting beside Boe as she led the Doctor over, "If I can leave this gentleman and woman in your care?"

"Oh, I think our friend got lost," the Doctor turned to Jatt, "Uh, Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?"

"Certainly, sir," she smiled, turning to go.

Hame looked up at the Doctor, "I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep. That's all he tends to do these days. Are you friends, or…"

"We met just the once on Platform One," the Doctor replied quietly.

"I've only just," Angel added, looking sadly at the alien.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I'm so sorry," Hame said gently, "I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying."

"Of what?" the Doctor looked at her, surprised.

"Old age," Angel answered for her, her gaze flickering across Boe's face, taking him in, "He's so old now."

Hame sighed, nodding, "The one thing we _can't_ cure. He's _thousands_ of years old. Some people say millions…"

"He is," Angel whispered, tilting her head as she looked at him. It was...weird...it felt like she _knew_ the Face of Boe from somewhere, despite the fact she was sure she'd never met him before. He felt...familiar to her, like she should know him...but...she just didn't know _why_...

"That's impossible."

The Doctor smiled, "Oh, I don't know...I like impossible," he knelt down beside Angel, resting a hand on her back as he spoke to Boe, "I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me...it's the Doctor..." he placed his other hand on the tank as Boe sighed, "And I've brought someone very special, the Angel, just what you need eh?"

Angel smiled at him softly, before looking at Boe in thought, "He's not the only face around here, is he?" she turned to Hame.

"Well…" the cat-nurse blinked, confused by her question, "There are faces all around us. Our patients, their families…"

The Doctor looked at Angel, he knew that wasn't exactly what the question she had asked meant, but from the frown on her face, she didn't know exactly what that was either.

He'd noticed her sensations seemed to be getting stronger, if that was the right word, she'd been speaking more about them, getting more of them. But...that could have been because she'd tried to keep herself from feeling them for so long, maybe _this_ was how she would have have natrually felt, how often she felt them. But he also knew it frustrated her. There were times she'd say something so randomly, so out there, that they KNEW it was a feeling about the future, like when she'd asked if he'd give a piece of fruit a second chance. Other times she'd make a passing comment that would later mean so much more, something they might have been able to deal with if only they'd realized it sooner, like when she'd told Rose to hang on back when they'd met Nancy and Jamie. And then there were times she'd say something and not have the faintest clue why she said it or what it meant, like just now. It frustrated her to not be able to put an explanation to her words, to not know why she said it, to not even know what it meant.

He'd never dealt with Visionaries before, not enough to be able to help, and that killed him.

All he could do was try to be there for her, help her work her sensations out.

~8~

Rose emerged from the corridor into a room with an old video playing. She looked over at the flickering image being projected onto the screen, a glamorous party where everyone present was laughing and holding champagne glasses.

A blonde woman was there, talking to everyone, the center of attention, "I mean, you never know what your life's going to be like! Ever! I'm bored with this drink," she handed her drink to someone off camera, "Anyway, oh, hello darling! Now, don't! Stop it!" she playfully pushed a man away.

"Wait a minute..." Rose froze in thought, recognizing the woman's voice, "That's..." she spun around to see Cassandra, the piece of skin with eyes and lips behind her, the man at her side.

"Peekaboo!" Cassandra grinned.

"Don't you come anywhere _near_ me, Cassandra," Rose held up the pipe.

"Why? What do you think I'm going to do? Flap you to death?"

"Yeah, but...what about Gollum?" she gestured to the man.

"Oh...that's just Chip. He's my pet."

"I _worship_ the mistress!" Chip stated.

"Moisturize me, moisturize me..." she ordered. Chip picked up a canister and began to spray Cassandra with the solution, "He's not even a proper life form. He's a force-grown clone. I modeled him on my favorite pattern. But he's _so_ faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs."

"I hope that means food," Rose remarked, "How comes you're still alive?"

"After you murdered me…"

"That was _your own_ fault."

"The brain of my mistress survived," Chip explained, "And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin."

"What about the skin? I saw it, you…you got ripped apart."

"That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body," Cassandra explained, "This piece is the back."

Rose laughed, "Right! So you're talking out of your…"

"Ask not," Cassandra cut in with a glare.

"The mistress was lucky to survive," Chip told her, "Chip secreted milady into the hospital."

"So they don't know you're here?" Rose reasoned.

"Chip steals medicine. Helps milady. Soothes her. Strokes her..." he raised a hand do just that.

"You can stop right there, Chip," Rose called, disgusted.

"But I'm so alone, hidden down here...the last human in existence..." Cassandra sighed sadly.

"Don't start _that_ again, they've called this planet New _Earth_!"

"A vegetable patch."

"And there's millions of humans out there... _millions_ of them."

"Mutant stock!"

"They _evolved_ , Cassandra. They just evolved, like they _should_. _You_ stayed still. You got yourself all pickled and preserved, and what good did it do you?"

"Oh, I remember that night," Cassandra looked at the film, ignoring her, "Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it all became...such _hard_ work."

"Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that."

"But I've not been idle, Rose..." she turned back to her, "Tucked away, underneath this hospital, I've been listening. The Sisters are hiding something."

"What d'you mean?"

"Oh...these cats have secrets. Hush, let me whisper. Come close."

Rose laughed, "You must be joking if you think I'm coming anywhere _near_ you!" she backed up, only for a light to turn on around her, binding her hands with red light, trapping her.

"Chip! Activate the psychograft!"

Chip rushed over to the controls.

"I can't move!" Rose shouted, frightened, "Cassandra, let me go!" Chip pulled a lever and bars of light came down from the ceiling, surrounding her like a cage, "What're you doing?!"

"The lady's moving on," Cassandra laughed gleefully, "It's goodbye trampoline, and hello blondie!"

A pink light flew out of Cassandra, across the room, and into Rose.

Chip released the lever, Rose's body falling to the ground, "Mistress?" he peered at her.

"Moisturize me…" Cassandra said in Rose's body as she began to wake. Chip turned to retrieve the canister when Cassandra realized she was in an _actual body_ again, "How bizarre...arms...fingers...hair! Let me see! Let me see!" she sprang up and dashed to the mirror, her eyes widening in horror, "Oh my God. I'm a chav!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, who loved that little scene in the beginning? Aww, fluff! I will say this though, a lot of things that Angel and the Doctor say/do in that scene will pop up again later in the saga, I won't say how or when or what, but it will :)


	8. New Earth: A New Rose

"Hope, harmony, and health," the speaker called, "Hope, harmony, and health."

The Doctor walked across Ward 26 and handed Hame a glass of water before handing one to Angel as she sat cross-legged before Boe, leaving one for himself, "That's very kind," Hame thanked, "But there's no need."

"You're the one working," he countered.

"There's not much to do. Just maintain his smoke. And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes. In my mind...such ancient songs..."

"Are we the only visitors?" Angel asked, glancing at the cat-nurse.

"The rest of Boe-kind became extinct. Long ago. He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the Universe grow old," the two Time Lords smiled, "There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that, just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret. That he will speak those words only to those like himself."

"What does that mean?" the Doctor frowned.

"It's just a story."

"Tell us the rest," Angel turned to her gently, "Go on. I love a good story."

"It's said he'll talk to wanderers. To the ones without a home. The lonely god and his angel."

The Doctor and Angel exchanged a glance at that, both recognizing someone like them in her story.

~8~

Cassandra stood in front of the mirror, just looking at Rose's body, absolutely _horrified_ , "Look at me!" she cried, frantic, "From class to brass! Although..." she pulled the zipper of Rose's shirt down slightly and felt along the girl's curves, "Oh...curves...oh, baby..." she hopped up and down, Chip following suit, "It's like living inside a bouncy castle!"

"Mistress is beautiful!" Chip grinned.

"Absolument!" she winked at him, "Oh, but look..." her attention turned to her skin sheet, now faded and cracking.

"Oh..." Chip frowned, "The brain lead expired...my old mistress is gone."

"But safe and sound in here," she reassured him, tapping her head.

"What of the Rose child's mind?"

"Oh...tucked away...I can just about access the surface memory, she's..." she paused to think, "Gosh...she's with this woman and…the Doctor...a man... _he's_ the Doctor...the _same_ Doctor with a _new_ face! That hypocrite! I _must_ get the name of his surgeon," she turned to look at the mirror again, "I could do with a little work. Although..." she felt Rose's behind, "Nice rear bumper. Hmm!" she smiled just as Rose's mobile began to ring, "Oh...it seems to be ringing...is it meant to ring?" she pulled it out of Rose's back pocket and stared at it.

"A primitive communications device."

She pushed a button and the Doctor spoke, "Rose, where are you?"

"How does she speak?" Cassandra hissed to Chip, holding her hand over the end of the phone.

"Old Earth Cockney," he replied just as quietly.

"Um..." she picked the phone back up, "Wotcha..."

"Where've you been?" he asked, "How long does it take to get to Ward 26?"

"Two minutes and th..." she heard another woman start to speak, her voice a bit soft as she wasn't the one currently on the phone, "Oh...rhetorical. Right. Sorry! Continue."

Cassandra shook her head, hearing the Doctor laughing lightly at the other woman's words, "I'm on my way, governor," she said, forcing her voice to attempt to sound like what she thought Rose's might be, "I shall proceed up the Apples and Pears."

"Are you still hungry Rose?" the woman called, "Did we not buy enough grapes? That fruit stand did have quite a bit to pick from. They might have apples and pears. We can stop and get some for you when we leave. I wouldn't eat the pears though, don't you think they taste...funny?"

Cassandra pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at oddly, as though she'd be able to stare at the girl speaking through it. What on New Earth was she talking about?

"Urgh," the Doctor blanched, "I hate pears, nasty little buggers they are. But listen," Cassandra put the phone back to her ear, sensing that the Doctor was speaking to her again, or at least to Rose, "You'll never guess. Angel and I are with the Face of Boe! Remember him?"

She laughed through gritted teeth, "Course I do...that big old...boat...race..." her words grew softer and softer as she spoke. She had no idea who the Face of Boe was or who this Angel character was, though she guessed it was the other woman Chip had spied with him and Rose before.

"I'd better go," he said, distracted, "See you in a minute."

~8~

Angel looked over as the Doctor placed the receiver of the phone down and headed over to where the Duke was laughing, having a glass of champagne with Clovis, looking like the epitome of health...well...excepting his weight.

"Didn't think I was going to make it!" the Duke called, spotting the Doctor, "It's that man again!" the Doctor smiled, scratching his ear absently, "He's my good luck charm! Come in! Don't be shy!"

"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract," Clovis informed him.

He nodded.

"Winch me up," the Duke commanded, giving the Doctor a thumbs up. Clovis pressed a button on a remote and the bed started tilting up, "Ah! Look at me! No sign of infection!"

"Champagne, sir?" a waiter approached him.

"No thanks," the Doctor waved him off, "Uh...you had Petrifold Regression, right?"

"'Had' being the operative word!" the Duke shouted gleefully, "Past tense! Completely cured."

"But that's impossible…"

"Primitive species would accuse us of magic," an older cat-nurse approached, "But it's merely the tender application of science."

"How on Earth did you cure him?" the Doctor looked at her.

"How on _New_ Earth, you might say," she smiled.

He nodded at the drip hanging beside the Duke's bed, connected to his arm, feeding the fluid into him, "What's in that solution?"

"A simple remedy."

"Then tell me what it is."

"I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality. I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp."

"I'm the Doctor."

"I think you'll find that _we're_ the doctors here."

"Matron Casp, you're needed in intensive care," Jatt called, approaching them.

Casp nodded at him, "If you would excuse me?"

The Doctor nodded and she turned to leave with Jatt, watching them walk away closely.

"It's happened again," Jatt hissed to Casp, speaking in a whisper so not even the Doctor could hear her, "One of the patients is _conscious_."

"Oh...we can't have that..." she replied quietly.

The Doctor glanced over and saw Angel eyeing them as well, still sitting beside Boe, not seeming willing to leave the old Face's side. He walked over to her, sitting close beside her, "What do you think?" he asked her quietly so as not to alert Hame, "What's in there?" he nodded towards the various drips hanging up around the room, healing the patients.

She looked at them a moment, "Sadness," she replied, going with the first words that came to her, "Loneliness, pain…and the tears of _millions_ …" she swallowed hard, unable to continue. It was almost like she could _feel_ it, the solitude, the hurt...it was _crushing_...

He wrapped an arm around her, hugging her to his side, as he stared at the drips.

This was not good.

This was not good at all.

~8~

"This Doctor man is dangerous," Chip warned Cassandra, watching as she flicked Rose's hair back and fixed herself up in the mirror.

"Dangerous and _clever_ ," she corrected, "I might need a mind like his. The Sisterhood is up to something. Remember that Old Earth saying? Never trust a nun. Never trust a nurse. And never trust a cat. Perfume?"

Chip pulled a small tube of perfume out of his pocket and gave it to her. She pushed it down into the front of her shirt and strode out of the room with purpose.

~8~

Sister Jatt and Matron Casp passed a number of luminous green doors in intensive care, almost like pods, stopping before one, "It was having a perfectly normal blood-wash," Jatt explained, "And all of a sudden, it started crying. It's this one."

They opened the door and looked inside as diseased hands reached out to them, "Please..." the patient within begged.

"Look at its eyes. So alive."

"Positively sparkling!" Casp agreed.

"Please...where am I?" the patient asked.

"And speech! How can it even _have_ a vocabulary?"

"Sister Corvin's written a thesis on the migration of sentience," Jatt said, "She calls it 'The Echo of Life.' It's well worth a read."

"Help me..." the patient begged.

"I've seen enough, thank you," Casp grimaced, disgusted, as they shut the door and walked away, "If this happens again, we might have to review our brain stem policy."

"And what should we do with the patient?" Jatt asked.

"Standard procedure," she said dismissively, "Incinerate."

Jatt pulled a lever on the wall, ignoring the terrible scream from the patient's cell as it glowed white, before turning to leave.

~8~

Cassandra walked onto Ward 26, still smoothing down Rose's hair, when she spotted the Doctor and another blonde woman standing near a drip of a patient next to a large Face in a tank, examining it, the Doctor wearing a pair of brainy specs, his arm moving around Angel when the girl shivered. She smiled though when Angel looked up and noticed her, nudging the Doctor.

"There you are!" the Doctor called, jogging over to her, "Come and look at this patient!" he took her arm and led her to a patient with red skin, "Marconi's Disease," he pulled off his glasses, "Should take _years_ to recover. Two _days_. I've never seen anything like it, they've invented a cell washing cascade, it's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one!" he pulled her to another one where the man had white skin, "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine!" he waved cheerily at the patient, before turning around, "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this."

They turned and walked off, Angel frowning at Rose from behind her, she was walking rather oddly.

"Because if they've got the best medicine in the world...then why's it such a secret?" the Doctor wondered.

"I can't Adam and Eve it," Cassandra stopped.

"Doctor!" Angel called suddenly, startling him into turning around, seeing her standing there with wide, frightened eyes.

"What is it?" he asked her quickly, worried that something had harmed her.

"Something's wrong with the TARDIS."

He blinked, "What do you mean?" he shook his head, "The TARDIS was fine when we landed and..."

"You're ok," she cut in, "And even if you weren't, I'M ok. The TARDIS should be working just fine, translating everything."

She looked at him as though he should be seeing what she was saying.

He just blinked again, "It _is_ translating. Isn't it?"

Angel shook her head and stepped closer to him, "I can't understand _a word_ she's saying," she whispered to him, nodding over at the blonde human beside them, "She's not speaking English!" she shook her head, "It's like she's speaking Welsh or something."

Seriously, the _only_ thing she'd managed to gather since the Doctor had managed to call Rose's mobile had been the words 'apples' and 'pears.' Everything else...made _no sense_ to her. But then again, it hadn't been that she wanted to EAT apples and pears but that she was going to go UP the apples and pears. She shook her head, nope, now she was certain she didn't understand _anything_.

The Doctor gave a little chuckle, "The TARDIS is working just fine," he reassured her, "Trust me, as hard as it may be to believe, that _is_ actually English..." but then he gave a little more thought to it and turned to his companion, "What IS with the voice though?" he looked at her, confused.

"Oh, I don't know..." Cassandra sighed, looking at him, "Just larking about. New Earth...new me..." she eyed him intently.

"Well, I can talk," he grinned, "New New Doctor."

"Mhmm..." she nodded, "Aren't you just..."

And then, very suddenly, pulled his face towards her and planted a large kiss right on his lips.

Angel's eyes widened in shock at the sudden and very uncharacteristic move.

When Cassandra finally pulled away he looked very shocked and she was slightly breathless, "T-terminal's this way," she breathed, walking off.

The Doctor blinked, before rounding to face Angel, who had turned to look at Cassandra, frowning. His hearts were beating in his chest at the thought of what Angel might be feeling about that kiss. He'd _just_ asked her to agree to be his Mate and then _kissed_ another woman in front of her! Mind you, _she_ had kissed _him_ , but still…if this destroyed the chance he had with Angel…he honestly didn't know what he would do. He...he'd never felt this way about any woman before, just the _thought_ that he might lose Angel because of _this_...it _terrified_ him...

"I'm sorry," he said frantically, speaking very fast, "I didn't…and she just…and it was too sudden…and I just…"

"That's not Rose," Angel cut in, speaking very quietly, her gaze still trained on Cassandra.

He looked at Cassandra, and back at her, then back at Cassandra, before settling his gaze on Angel once more, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…Angel I didn't mean to…"

"I know," she looked up at him, taking his hand, she could tell that he honestly did not intend for the kiss to happen, his reaction alone told her he hadn't enjoyed it and hadn't wanted it to happen at all, "I don't blame you. That was rather unexpected wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" he breathed, still watching her carefully, if she was trying to cover up her feelings…

She leaned forward and gave him a small peck on the cheek, assuaging his fears, "Come on," she tugged him in the direction Cassandra had gone.

But he tugged her back to him.

She turned, looking up at him curiously as he just stared at her with an intense look in his eyes. He reached out, gently cupping her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her tenderly, needing to do this to relieve his own guilt at what had happened. He'd been kissed by another woman, another woman had left her impression on his lips, and that wouldn't do. The only one he wanted kissing him was Angel. He needed this, he needed to cover that impression up, replace it with one he welcomed.

And he rather enjoyed kissing her too.

Angel smiled as they pulled away, the Doctor resting his forehead to hers a moment, "We really do need to find out what's wrong with her," she murmured quietly. She was worried, Rose wasn't acting like Rose, and if something was wrong with Rose well, she wanted to help.

He nodded against her forehead and squeezed her hand, still held in his other hand, before stepping back and leading her off after the wayward human.

Angel's smile remained though, knowing what the kiss had meant to the Doctor, and why he'd done it. She couldn't understand humans, try as she might, but, even being as awkward as she was, she always managed to understand him. Maybe not his words, but his intentions, his thoughts, his feelings, just... _him_. She had noticed a sort of bond that Rose and the Doctor shared when they first met, but as time went on, she and the Doctor had spent more time together, just talking of home, bonding over their shared pain and loss in the War. After Rose had tried to save her father was when she _really_ started to notice a divide between Rose and the Doctor, a sort of drifting. They were still very good friends, but that small something that they had, that bond that _could_ have led to something more had diminished. It was almost as though before that the Doctor hadn't truly seen Rose as a human with all their faults, especially after how quickly he'd dismissed Adam. But seeing Rose break almost every rule and all for very human purposes, he seemed to realize she was, in fact, human, prone to and vulnerable to their temptations and limitations. Near the end she'd seen Rose and the Doctor's bond morph into one of deep friendship…and what _Rose_ had just done was not like her at all.

They caught up with her at a terminal, the girl having already brought up details of the hospital on the screen, "Nope..." the Doctor said, giving it the onceover, "Nothing odd...surgery...post-op...nano-dentistry...no sign of a shop...they should have a shop."

"No, it IS missing something," Angel remarked as Cassandra turned to take a closer look, she could just feel it, there was something out of place here.

"When I was downstairs, those nurse/cat/nuns were talking about Intensive Care," Cassandra said, "Where is it?"

"You're right," the Doctor blinked, seeing that it wasn't on the details, "Well done."

"Why would they hide a whole department?" Cassandra asked. The Doctor pulled out the sonic and flashed the screen, "It's gotta be there somewhere. Search the sub-frame."

"What if the sub-frame's locked?"

"Try the installation protocol..."

Angel frowned, watching her, Rose would definitely _not_ have known or even suggested that. Not even SHE would think to do that. Not that Rose couldn't be smarter than her in certain areas, she was brilliant when it came to understanding situations, she'd helped teach her about the social cues and other things she sometimes had difficulty picking up. And they would talk, about a lot of things. Rose was brilliant in a different way than a Time Lord, she knew things and understood things, but _this_...she did know Rose wasn't too tech-savvy, especially with the futuristic technology. _Rose_ wouldn't have known to try the installation protocol, she probably wouldn't even know what the sub-frame was either.

"Yeah, course," the Doctor nodded, though Angel could detect the same suspicion in his voice, "Sorry. Hold on…" he stopped sonicing just as the entire wall before them moved downwards, revealing a secret passage behind it.

Cassandra smiled and walked right through it, not noticing the Doctor and Angel exchanging looks behind her, both knowing something was wrong with 'Rose.'

"Intensive Care," the Doctor commented as they entered after her, "Certainly looks intensive."

They walked down metal steps into Intensive Care, finding themselves in a huge, cavernous room where there were rows and rows of green doors on every level.

The Doctor walked along one of the rows, stopping when he felt Angel wasn't behind him any longer. He looked back to see that Angel had stopped and turned to one of the doors, placing a hand on it.

"It's empty…" she looked at the Doctor and nodded to the door beside it, that one was NOT empty.

He reached out and opened it with his sonic. They stared in horror at the sight of the man standing within, covered in boils, surrounded by smoke, staring at them blankly.

"That's _disgusting_ ," Cassandra nearly sneered, "What's wrong with him?"

Angel blinked, feeling tears in her eyes at the sight before them. That man, blank though his stare was, she could see a pain lingering within it. And now she knew for certain that Rose wasn't Rose. Rose would have gasped at the discovery, wanted to help the man. Yes, she would have been disgusted, but not _by_ the man, by what had been done _to_ him. She felt her stomach churning at the thought...what had been done TO them. Someone else was responsible for the state of that man and all the others in the cells. Someone had DONE this to them.

How _could_ they?

She was going to be sick.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor breathed, "I'm so sorry."

Cassandra held her nose while the Doctor gently closed the door, turning to open another one, only to see a woman there in a similar state as the man, "What disease is that?"

"All of them," Angel replied quietly, "Every disease you could possibly find. They've been infected with all of them."

"What about us? Are we safe?"

"The air's sterile," the Doctor reassured her, "Just don't touch them," he shut that door as well and turned to lean over the railing, Angel at his side, looking at all the millions of doors.

"How many patients are there?"

"They're not patients," Angel replied almost automatically.

"But they're sick."

"They were _born_ sick," the Doctor stated angrily, "They're _meant_ to be sick. They _exist_ to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm."

"Millions of them," Angel looked up and down.

"Why don't they just die?" Cassandra shook her head.

"Plague carriers," the Doctor said, "The last to go."

"It's for the greater cause," a voice said down the end of the corridor. They looked over to see Novice Hame there.

The Doctor turned to her, "Novice Hame. When you took your vows, did you agree to this?"

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help."

"What, by killing?!"

"How does that help anyone?" Angel shook her head, not understanding. This was a _hospital_ , a place for _healing_ , not for murder.

"But they're not real people," Hame argued, "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."

"What's the turnover?" he advanced dangerously, "Hmm? Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousand? For how many years? How many?!"

"Mankind _needed_ us," she didn't answer, she couldn't answer, there had been so many she couldn't even begin to give an idea of a number, "They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did _try_. We tried _everything_. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle...but the results were too slow. So the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."

"They are _alive_ ," Angel shook her head at her.

"But think of those humans out there...healthy...and happy, because of _us_..."

"A life that's a result of _this_ is worthless."

"But who are you to decide that?"

"I'm the Angel. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm the Doctor," he added, stepping forward, "And if you don't like it...if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with us."

"Just to confirm..." Cassandra looked over their shoulders, "None of the humans in the city actually _know_ about this?"

"We thought it best not…" she began.

"Hold on," the Doctor cut in, "I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. But one thing I can't understand, what have you done to Rose?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I'm being very calm about this," the Doctor warned her, "You wanna beware of that, calm. The only reason I'm being so calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed."

"We haven't done anything."

"Doctor…" Angel said, he looked to see her staring at Hame intently, "She's telling the truth…"

"I'm perfectly fine," Cassandra agreed.

Angel turned to him, "I didn't mean it as Rose was acting different, I meant it as _that_ is NOT Rose…" she looked at Cassandra, "There's someone _else_ inside her."

The Doctor nodded and rounded on Cassandra as well, "These people are dying and Rose would care."

"Oh, alright, clever clogs," she rolled her eyes, before grinning and pulling his tie out of his suit flirtatiously, "Smarty pants," she smirked, whispering huskily, "Lady-killer."

The Doctor stepped back, tugging his tie out of her hands, very uncomfortable, "What's happened to you?"

"I knew something was going on in this hospital. But I needed this body and your mind to find it out. She…" she nodded at Angel, "Was an added bonus."

"Who are you?"

"The Last Human."

"Cassandra?" the Doctor's eyes widened in horror.

"The trampoline?" Angel looked at the Doctor, thinking about what he'd told her of the piece of skin that could talk.

Cassandra glared at being called that, "Wake up and smell the perfume," she snapped, quickly pulling the tube of perfume out of her shirt and spraying it in the Doctor's face. He keeled over, Angel rushing to try and grab him before he fell but Cassandra took advantage of her distraction to spray her too.

"You've hurt them!" Hame gasped, kneeling beside the two, checking to make sure they were ok, "I don't understand, I'll have to fetch Matron!"

"You do that, 'cos I want to see her," Cassandra smirked, "Now, run along! Sound the alarm!"

Hame hurried off as Cassandra just ripped a cable off the wall and set off the alarm.

~8~

Hame ran out of Intensive Care and over to Matron Casp and Sister Jatt as she caught sight of them, "Matron! It's that man and woman. And the girl!"

"We heard the alarm, now get back to work," Casp told her, "Tend to your patients."

Hame hurried off as Casp and Jatt walked into Intensive Care.

~8~

The Doctor woke up to find himself inside one of the cells in Intensive Care, "Let me out! Let me out!" he struggled, leaning forward trying to peer out.

"Aren't you lucky there was a spare?" Cassandra appeared in the doorway, smirking in at him through Rose's mouth, "Standing room only."

"Where's Angel!?" he tried to peer around her.

Cassandra's smirk widened, "You were right Doctor, their turnover is remarkably high. There were quite a few spares," she stepped back as the Doctor squinted through the door, barely able to make out someone in a cell across from him, banging on the other door.

"You've stolen Rose's body," the Doctor glared at her, "And shoved my Mate into a holding cell!"

"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've and your… _Mate_ , got about...three minutes left. Enjoy."

"Just let them go Cassandra! Let Rose and Angel go!"

"I'll let Rose go! As soon as I've found someone younger and...less common...then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby! It's show time."

She turned as Casp and Jatt approached her, "Anything we can do to help?" Jatt asked.

"Straight to the point, Whiskers..." Cassandra smirked, "I want money."

"The Sisterhood is a _charity_ ," Casp replied dryly, "We don't _give_ money. We only...accept."

"The humans across the water pay you a fortune. And that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment. That's all I want...oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the city nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?"

Jatt pressed a button on a control as Casp grinned, "I'm afraid not."

"I'd really advise you to think about this."

"There's no need. I have to decline."

"I'll tell them! And you've no way of stopping me! You're not exactly Nuns with Guns, you're not even armed."

"Who needs arms when we have claws?" Casp raised her hand and claws shot out of her paws as she hissed menacingly.

"Well, nice try," Cassandra remarked, spinning around to call Chip, who was waiting behind her, "Chip? Plan B!"

Chip pulled a lever beside him and every cell door on the row opened. The Doctor shot out of his cell and over to Angel as she stumbled out of hers, taking her head in his hands, looking at her, making sure she was alright, before spinning to Cassandra, "What've you done?!"

"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up!" Cassandra shouted back, "See ya!" she took off down the hall, jumping out of the way of the infected.

"Don't touch them!" the Doctor called after her, looking back at the nurses, "Whatever you do, don't touch!" he took Angel's hand and the two ran after Cassandra and Chip, the infected swarming around Jatt and Casp.

"I think we should withdraw," Jatt remarked.

"We understood what you did to us," one of the infected men said, "As part of the machine, we know the machine."

"Fascinating," Casp backed away, "It's actually constructing an argument."

"And we...will end it," the man finished, before punching his hand into the electrics, electrocuting himself but causing _every single door_ in Intensive Care to open.

Cassandra screamed as she, the Doctor, Angel, and Chip ran for their lives along the row, the infected starting to leave their cells.

"They're free!" Jatt cried, looking over the railing, "By the Goddess Centauri, the flesh is free!"

The infected staggered slowly towards them, muttering 'stop the pain,' reaching out to them. Jatt found herself backed against the wall as one of them touched her face. She immediately broke out into boils, screaming in pain as she collapsed, dead.

The Doctor, Angel, Cassandra, and Chip paused for a moment, trying to find a way out as the infected swarmed, "Oh, my God..." Cassandra gasped.

"What the hell have you done?" the Doctor turned to her.

"It wasn't me!"

"One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra!"

"But there's thousands of them!" Cassandra shouted as the infected advanced.

"Run!" Angel yelled, "Down! This way!" she rushed down a set of stairs, leading them.

Casp picked up a phone, "Quarantine the building!" she shouted before running, just barely managing to escape the infected as the building started to shut down, trapping everyone inside.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how confused Angel can get, she's just so sweet :) Lol, love how she thought the TARDIS was broken because she couldn't understand Rose. I really enjoyed the Doctor's reaction to the kiss, did you? I'll say this though, next chapter we'll see a tiny bit more of a resolution from The Christmas Invasion happen at the end :) And...the Oncoming Storm will make a tiny appearance, can you guess why? :)


	9. New Earth: Ping-Pong with Cassandra

"This building is under quarantine," the speaker stated as shutters sealed off every entrance and exit, alarming the patients and staff, "Repeat, this building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises. Repeat...no one may leave the premises."

~8~

"Keep going!" the Doctor shouted as they raced down the stairs, "Go down!"

His hearts were pounding away, and not just from the run. Not only was Rose there, unable to act of her own power with Cassandra controlling her every move, but Angel was there. His Mate. Surrounded by infected who could contaminate, and probably kill, you with a single touch.

Disease, he hated that. It was the ONE thing he couldn't protect people from. Harm, witnessing things, sadness, he could do so much to help in that, to protect someone. But disease, that was an internal battle, that was something that couldn't be fought by an outside source. Medicines could help, yes, but it was the body's fight to wage. It made him feel helpless to see someone suffering with an illness because there was nothing he could physically do to make them better, only to comfort them.

If he lost Angel to any of these diseases...he knew, he'd hate himself forever. No, he'd hate himself however long it took for another of the infected to touch him too.

No, he shook his head, grabbing her hand to take the lead she'd been trying to maintain, he wouldn't let any of the infected touch her. He'd protect her from them, he'd _always_ protect her.

~8~

The door to the Intensive Care opened and the infected reached out into the hospital, grabbing onto a woman's arm whispering 'help us, stay with us.'

"Help me!" the woman screamed as her skin broke out into boils.

~8~

Cassandra, Chip, the Doctor, and Angel descended the last flight of stairs and burst through a door into a cellar. Cassandra ran to the lifts, trying to operate them.

"No, the lifts have closed down," the Doctor stopped a moment, trying to get his bearings, "That's the quarantine, nothing's moving."

"This way!" Angel shouted, running the other way with the group on her heel, getting them past a converging corridor just before more infected people began to spill out of it, cutting them off from Chip.

"Someone will touch him!" the Doctor turned back.

"Leave him!" Cassandra grabbed his arm, "He's just a clone thing, he's only got a half-life, come on!"

"Mistress!" Chip called pitifully.

The Doctor looked between him and Cassandra who was running, Angel looking between him and Cassandra as well.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor shouted to Chip, "We can't let her escape!" he turned, grabbing Angel's hand and running after Cassandra.

"My Mistress!" Chip yelled, terrified, before turning and running back, jumping down a waste chute.

~8~

Clovis ran through some sliding doors, "Excuse me..." she called out, irritated, "Can we get some _service_?" she looked around helplessly at the empty room when she saw the Intensive Care door open and infected emerge.

She screamed, pressing the alarm to seal the Ward and running away.

~8~

The Doctor, Cassandra, and Angel ran into the room Cassandra's skin had been stored in, slamming the door behind them. Cassandra ran to another door at the other end of the room, about to open it when...

"Cassandra, no!" Angel shouted, running over to her and shoving the door shut just as she opened it to reveal infected behind it.

"We're trapped!" Cassandra gasped, frantic, rushing to lock the door, "What're we going to do?"

"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body," the Doctor told her, pointing at the psychograft with his sonic as Angel stepped back, "That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet! You're compressing Rose to death."

"But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's _dead_."

"Not our problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out."

"You asked for it," Cassandra glared, before opening her mouth.

A cloud of light leapt from her body to the Doctor's.

"Blimey, my head..." Rose muttered, stumbling as Angel caught her, "Angel?" she frowned, shaking her head before looking around, "Where'd she go?"

"Where do you think?" Angel asked, looking over at the Doctor as he stood before them, a bewildered expression on his face, not looking like his normal self at all. Even just standing there, the way he was carrying himself, they could tell it wasn't him any longer.

"Oh, my," Cassandra remarked, from inside the Doctor's body, "This is...different."

" _Cassandra_?" Rose's eyes widened.

"Goodness me, I'm a _man_. Yum. So many parts! And hardly used..." she wiggled around crazily, "Ah…ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

"Get out of him," Angel glared as she stepped up to face her. She felt...something...stirring inside her. It...she couldn't describe it. It was like this...determination, this...pressure growing in the pit of her stomach, her hearts pounding. She wanted the Doctor back, and she wanted him back _now_.

"Ooh, he's slim," Cassandra ran a hand down the Doctor's body, ignoring the Time Lady, she wasn't quite as much of a threat as the Doctor, she'd seen that much in Rose's mind. The girl wouldn't harm a fly much less her precious Doctor's body, "And a little bit foxy," she raised his eyebrows and looked at the girls, " _Rose_ certainly thought so too…"

"Only at first!" Rose defended, turning a sheepish look to Angel, "Just when he _changed_. Just for a _second_. That's it. I promise!"

Cassandra shook her head, "I've been inside her head..." she smirked at Angel as Rose looked even more sheepish, "She's been looking...she likes it…"

Rose gave Angel an apologetic look now. But Angel just shrugged, the Doctor was rather handsome, both of him had been. She had no control over what others thought, if they noticed or not. She could admit this Doctor was handsome, so could others, at least Rose didn't have the same feeling behind her thoughts as _she_ did. She took comfort in knowing that Rose merely thought he was physically nice to look at. SHE, on the other hand, she saw beyond that. He wasn't just handsome, not to her, he was the most beautiful soul, the most incredible mind, the most amazing man she'd ever met. The things they'd bonded over, the ordeals they'd survived, the things they'd lost and suffered and endured, drew them closer than most. The connection they shared ran so much deeper than anyone could understand.

Cassandra frowned suddenly, "Oh, so sad, he loves you though," she eyed Angel, as though trying to see what was _so_ special about her. Before any of them could reply the infected suddenly burst through the doors, making them all jump, "What do we do? What would he do?! The Doctor, what the hell would he do?!"

"Ladder!" Rose shouted, spotting a ladder near the back of the room that went up into the ceiling, into a sort of shaft, "We've gotta get up."

Cassandra shoved Rose and Angel out of the way with an "Out of the way, Blondies!" and clambered up, Rose and Angel hurriedly following after.

~8~

The infected pressed against a glass window in Ward 26, trying to get into the room beyond, while all available people tried to keep them back.

~8~

Chip whimpered as the infected closed in on him in Intensive Care. He quickly scuffled back into one of the cells, shutting the door on himself.

~8~

"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something!" Rose called up to Cassandra as they climbed.

"Yap yap yap..." Cassandra muttered, "God, it was _tedious_ inside your head. Hormone City."

"We're gonna die if…" Rose began, when a startled shout behind her caused her to stop.

"Let go!" Angel yelled as Matron Casp grabbed her ankle.

"All our good work!" Casp glared, "All that _healing_! The good name of the Sisterhood, you have destroyed everything!"

"Go and play with a ball of string," Cassandra yelled down dismissively.

"Everywhere, disease! This is the human world. Sickness!"

A diseased hand grabbed Casp's ankle, causing her to wail in pain and break out into boils. She let go of Angel's ankle, falling back into the shaft, down past the line of infected that were climbing up after them.

"Hurry!" Angel shouted as the infected watched the cat fall.

Cassandra whimpered and hastily started climbing again.

"Maximum quarantine," the speaker announced, "Divert all shuttles."

They tried to get to the top of the ladder, only to find the lift doors, their only means of escape, were sealed.

"Now what do we do?" Cassandra groaned.

"Use the sonic screwdriver!" Angel called up.

Cassandra pulled out the sonic from the Doctor's pocket, holding it gingerly, wrinkling her nose, "You mean this thing?"

"Yes, that thing," Rose nodded, seeing it.

"Well, I don't know how, that Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts!"

"Cassandra, just go into me," Angel offered, she didn't want Cassandra going back into Rose, the girl had suffered enough and, as the Doctor had said, the psychograft would just keep compressing her. She didn't want that to happen to Rose and she was sure her mind, a Time Lord mind, could endure more than a human's could, she'd be safe, Rose wouldn't, "The Doctor can open it then. Do it!"

"Hold on tight," Cassandra warned, before leaping out of the Doctor and into Angel.

"Oh...not _another_ one!" Cassandra moaned, "These two hearts are rather irritating," she looked up to see the Doctor shake his head clear, "Open it!"

"Not 'til you get out of her," the Doctor pointed the sonic at her threateningly.

"We need the Doctor!"

"I order you to leave her!" he demanded angrily, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "You give her _back_ to me Cassandra! You give _my Mate_ back!"

Cassandra actually flinched at that, at the threat in his voice, she'd been in his head, she'd seen how he felt about Angel, no matter how blocked most of his thoughts had been, Angel was a rather large topic even on his surface thoughts. She knew _exactly_ what he'd do to her to free Angel. So she breathed out, leaping back to the only person she could that would protect her from the Doctor...into the Doctor himself.

"No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout," she remarked.

"Cassandra you need to get out of him!" Angel called.

"But I can't go into _you_ , he simply refuses, he's so rude. And you don't want me to go into her," she nodded at Rose, "What else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Think of something."

"Oh, I am _so_ gonna regret this..." she mumbled, disgusted, before leaping out of the Doctor's body and into a diseased woman right below Angel, "Oh, sweet Lord...I look _disgusting_."

The Doctor opened the lift, holding out a hand to Rose, helping her through, "Nice to have you back," he smiled at her before hefting Angel up as well, giving her a quick peck to see she was alright.

"Oh no you don't..." Cassandra grumbled, leaping out and into Angel, being the closest to the closing doors, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

"That was your _last_ warning, Cassandra!" the Doctor sealed the door, spinning around angrily.

"Inside her head..." Cassandra breathed as she sat on the floor, an almost devastated look on her face as it slowly scrunched in pain, "They're so alone...they keep reaching out, just to hold us...all their lives and they've never been touched…ah!" she leaned forward, pressing her hands to her head, "Doctor it hurts!"

Rose's eyes widened in shock at those last words, they weren't said with _Cassandra's_ inflection, but _Angel's_.

The Doctor knelt before her, taking her head in his hands, looking at her intently, "She's compressing you. You hear that Cassandra!" he glared, "Her mind's more advanced than a human's. It's working to expel you but the more it does the more you compress her, you're _killing_ her!"

"Let her in me," Rose offered, kneeling beside the Doctor.

"Rose…"

"Just for now. Just till we figure this all out," he seemed to struggle with it for a moment, "Doctor look at her!" Angel had tears coming out of her eyes from the pain, she was starting to shake, "Please."

She had to do this, for Angel. The girl had clearly been trying to keep Cassandra from compressing _her_ mind more than it already had been, but none of them thought that _this_ would happen. The Doctor, his mind was as advanced as Angel's, but...he realized what had happened and managed to just lock away his thoughts. He'd had experience with other things trying to take over his mind before. Angel hadn't. This was a natural reaction for their minds, a natural defense for Time Lords, to fight back, and that's what her mind was doing, the more she fought, the harder Cassandra's essence would fight to remain planted.

Rose put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, nodding. She would be alright, as he'd implied her human mind was more simple, it didn't have the defenses, she'd be alright for a while longer, but Angel...Angel wouldn't.

"Alright," the Doctor nodded.

A light flew out of Angel's mouth and into Rose. The Doctor quickly helped Angel to her feet, throwing a glare at Cassandra who had the decency to look both concerned for Angel and guilty.

~8~

Clovis brandished a chair at the trio menacingly when they stepped out onto Ward 26, roaring like a wild animal, "We're safe!" the Doctor shouted, "We're safe! We're safe. We're clean! We're clean! Look, look…"

"Show me your skin!" Clovis demanded.

"Look!" the Doctor held up his hand as did Rose and Angel, though the Time Lady only held up one, the other rubbing the side of her head, "Clean. Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead," Clovis nodded and put down the chair, "So, how's it going up here? What's the status?"

Clovis watched as he helped Angel over to the Face of Boe, sitting her down beside the face, leaning her against his container. She had a very severe migraine from Cassandra's stint, "There's nothing but silence from the other Wards," Clovis replied, "I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine," she fiddled with a small communication device in her hand, "If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad."

"You can't," Angel said quietly, she did know this from her time in some of the human hospitals, "If they manage to get in, then they break the quarantine."

"I am _not_ dying in here!"

The Doctor stepped up to Clovis, standing in between her and Angel, knowing that the woman's shouting wasn't helping the girl's headache, "We can't let a single particle of disease get out," he told her quietly, though with a heavy threat in his voice, "There is ten million people in that City, they'd all be at risk. Now, _turn that off_."

"Not if it gets me out."

"Doctor…" Angel said after a moment of silence, he looked over at her, "Pass on the rainbow."

He looked at her, just a bit confused, but she just nodded towards the drips, the _colored_ drips. His eyes widened in realization, "Brilliant! Rose. Novice Hame. Everyone! Excuse me your grace, get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" everyone ran around, gathering all the solutions, handing them to the Doctor as he tied a rope around his body, Cassandra attaching the solutions to it, "How's that? Will that do?"

"I don't know!" Cassandra replied, "Will it do for what?" the Doctor just turned to the lift and opened it with his sonic, "The lifts aren't working."

The Doctor peered down the shaft, "Not _moving_. Different thing," he stepped back, ready for a running jump, "Here we go!" he stuck his sonic in his mouth and ran.

"But you're not going to…" Cassandra began, watching as he jumped into the middle of the shaft, clinging to the rope, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going down!" he replied, flashing the winch with his sonic as Cassandra looked away, exasperated, "Come on!"

"Not in a million years."

"I need another pair of hands. And Angel can't right now. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive...why don't you live a little?"

Infected started to emerge from another quarantined area, "Seal the door!" Clovis shouted just before Cassandra jumped and joined the Doctor as the doors shut behind them.

"You're completely mad. I can see why Angel loves you."

The Doctor smiled to himself at that before shouting, "Going down!" they whizzed down the shaft, screaming, till they reached the bottom, landing on the lift.

"Well, that's one way to lose weight."

"Now, listen, when I say so, take hold of that lever."

"There's still a quarantine down there, we can't…"

"Hold that lever!" he yelled. Cassandra quickly backed down and grabbed it, "I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself," he ripped the tops of the packets of each solution with his teeth and squirted them into the clear container where the disinfectant for the lift was meant to go, "Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position," he opened a trapdoor in the top of the lift, "Hold onto it with everything you've got."

"What about you?"

"I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in," he dropped down into the lift, opening the doors with his sonic to see all the infected people sitting in groups. When they saw him they started to move towards him, "I'm in here, come on!"

"Don't _tell_ them!"

"Pull that lever!" he called as the infected staggered towards him, "Come and get me, come on! I'm in here, come on!"

"Commence stage one, disinfection," the computer announced as they reached him.

"Hurry up, come on!" he beckoned them towards him, the solution showering down into the lift, soaking him, "Come on, come on!" the infected stumbled in, soaked as well, "All they wanna do is pass it on. Pass it on!"

"Pass on what?" Cassandra called down, "Pass on what?!"

"The rainbow!" he laughed as they cured themselves, "Pass it on!"

The infected people started to touch each other, passing on their good health. The boils started to fade, the Doctor grinning widely at it. Cassandra jumped down into the lift as soon as the solution had run out, "What did they pass on?" she asked, watching them, "Did you kill them? All of them?"

"No," the Doctor beamed, "That's _your_ way of doing things," he walked into the midst of the formerly infected, "I'm the Doctor and I cured them," the New Humans looked around at their surroundings, slightly childlike, a woman came up to the Doctor and hugged him, "That's right! Hey, hey! There we go, sweetheart! Look at him..." he ushered her off to sit with someone, "Go on, that's it! That's it! It's a new subspecies, Cassandra!" he took a man by the shoulders and looked at him, "A brand new form of life! New Humans! Look at them, look!" he bent down to look at them all, a huge smile on his face, "Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes...but completely, _completely_ alive!" he pointed at Cassandra, "You can't deny them, because you helped create them," she rolled her eyes at him, "The Human Race just keeps on going. Keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

Just then one of the lifts pinged, now working as the quarantine had been broken by the cure being spread. He spun around to see Angel stumble out of it and just look at him, "What are you doing?" he asked, still unable to stop smiling.

"I wasn't going to miss the grin on your face," she replied, walking towards him slowly, he met her halfway, putting his arms around her, "I _love_ that grin."

He just beamed in reply.

~8~

Police officers had swarmed the hospital as the still-wet Doctor, Cassandra, and Angel emerged back into Ward 26, "All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest," the speaker reported, "I repeat, immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care."

Novice Hame was led away by the police, catching the Doctor's eye, before looking down in shame.

"All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD…"

"The Face of Boe!" he shouted, suddenly remembering. He dashed off with Cassandra and Angel following him over to Boe, who looked very much alive and much better, "You were supposed to be dying!" the Doctor said with a smile.

"There are better things to do today," Boe countered in their minds, "Dying can wait."

"Oh, I hate telepathy," Cassandra muttered, "Just what I need, a head full of big face."

"Quiet," Angel hushed her.

"I have grown tired with the Universe, Doctor," Boe told him, "But you and your Mate have taught me to look at it anew."

The Doctor held out a hand to Angel and they both knelt before him, "There are legends you know, saying that you're millions of years old," the Doctor replied.

"There are?" he laughed, "That would be impossible."

"Wouldn't it just? I got the impression...there was something you wanted to tell me...tell us…"

"A great secret."

"According to the stories," Angel smiled.

"It can wait."

"Oh, does it have to?" the Doctor moaned, put out.

"We shall meet again, Doctor. For the third time. And my dear Angel, for the last time...and the truth shall be told. Until that day..." he disappeared in a flash of light.

"That is enigmatic," the Doctor nodded, impressed, "That…that is…that is textbook enigmatic," he nodded to himself and stood with Angel to face Cassandra, who was examining Rose's nails, completely disinterested, "And now for you."

"But...everything's happy," she smiled, "Everything's fine...can't you just leave me?"

"You've lived a full life Cassandra," Angel replied, "Rose still has the rest of hers to look forward to. She deserves to live it in her own body."

"Leave that body and end it, Cassandra," the Doctor agreed.

"I don't want to die!" she cried.

"No one does," Angel said quietly, "But everything, all things, must die."

"Help me!"

"We can't," the Doctor shook his head sadly.

"Mistress!" someone called. They looked up to see Chip running towards them.

"Ah!" Cassandra called, "You're alive!"

"I kept myself safe. For _you_ , mistress."

"A body..." Cassandra remarked, eyeing him, "And not just that, a _volunteer_..."

"Don't you dare," the Doctor warned, "He's got a life of his own."

"But I _worship_ the mistress!" Chip cut in, turning to her as she winked at him, "I welcome her."

"You can't, Cassandra, you…" the Doctor began.

But Cassandra ignored him, leaping into Chip's body.

Rose fell forward, the Doctor lunging to catch her, "Oh! You alright?"

Rose paused and lost her balance again, Angel catching her this time, "Watch out!" she laughed, straightening Rose again, "Ok now?"

"Yeah…" she said slowly, getting her bearings. She looked up at them, smiling, "Hello!"

"Hello," the Doctor grinned.

"Welcome back!" Angel hugged her.

"Oh, sweet Lord," Cassandra popped up in Chip's body, "I'm a walking doodle."

"You can't stay in there," the Doctor told her, "I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done."

"Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour. And certainly my finest hat," the trio glanced at each other, "But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half-life. And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing," she blinked, sounding surprised, "I don't think he's going to last…" her legs gave as they all jolted forward to support her.

"Are you alright Cassandra?" Angel asked. Despite what had happened, she could tell something was wrong, she'd seen it, a faint spark of fear in Chip/Cassandra's eyes just then.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, before pausing, "I'm dying. But that's fine."

"We can take you to the city…" the Doctor tried again.

"No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die," she swallowed hard, "And that's...good."

The Doctor and Rose helped Cassandra to her feet, "Come on," the Doctor said, "There's one last thing we can do," they slowly led her away.

~8~

The TARDIS landed in the back room of a party, the group stepping out, followed by Cassandra, now dressed in a black cloak styled robe. Rose looked around, recognizing the party as the one from Cassandra's recording, and there she was, the Last Human, laughing and talking to a group, the soul of the party.

Cassandra gasped and turned to the Doctor, "Thank you."

"Just go," he nodded.

"Don't look back," Angel smiled sadly, "You'll lose your nerve."

"Good luck," Rose whispered.

Cassandra walked over to her human past, smiling, watching her.

"And if you'd actually _seen_ them, they were _shocked_!" the human Cassandra exclaimed, "But don't quote me on that. Oh, naughty. À bientôt!" she turned to walk away from the group, when her future-self approached her.

"Excuse me..." Cassandra called, "Lady Cassandra..."

"I'm sorry, I don't need anything right now, I'm fine, thank you," she made to turn away.

"No," Cassandra nearly shouted, "I just wanted to say...you look beautiful."

"Well, that's very kind, you strange little thing. Thank you very much."

"I _mean_ it," Cassandra stepped forward, looking straight into her past-self's eyes, speaking _so_ sincerely, "You look... _so beautiful_."

She looked truly touched, "Thank you," suddenly Cassandra's eyes fluttered closed and she fell over, "Oh, my Lord. Are you alright? What is it? What's wrong? Someone get some help!" she quickly gathered herself into her arms, sinking to the floor, "Call a medic or something, quickly!"

"Who is he?" a woman asked.

"I don't know!" she cried frantic, "He just came up to me. I don't even know his name. He just collapsed. I think he's dying. Someone do something! I've got you, sweetheart...it's alright..."

Rose watched, close to tears, as the Doctor and Angel watched solemnly, Cassandra rocking Chip, rocking herself, in her arms.

"There you are...there you are, I've got you...it'll be alright. There, there, you poor little thing..."

They turned and slowly walked back to the TARDIS.

~8~

Angel sat beside the console, having just finished repairing some random wires. Working on the TARDISes on Gallifrey always helped her calm down and quell a headache, letting her focus on just one task, working automatically, not straining her mind any more than it already was. She could feel it _just_ starting to recede.

"Angel?" Rose called. She looked up to see Rose standing a few feet away, a small cup in her hand, "I just wanted to give this to you," she walked forward and handed Angel the cup of tea she'd made, "You were right, I should have let you give the Doctor tea before. It helped him when his brain was shutting down, so I thought it might help your headache."

Angel smiled up at her, "Thanks!" she scooted to the side and patted the grilling beside her for Rose to join her. Rose grinned widely and plopped down. Angel took a sip of the steaming cup and sighed in appreciation, "I think this might actually be better than your mum's."

"Oh God," Rose laughed, "Don't tell her that!"

Angel laughed as well, taking another sip, before turning to Rose, "Will you tell me what it was like? Travelling with the Doctor before you ended up in Van Statten's museum."

"I thought the Doctor told you all about that before?"

"He did. But I want to hear _your_ point of view. I'm sure he left out the bits where you bested him and saved the day."

Rose laughed, "Well, the very first time I met him, I saved him from this pile of plastic goop. That Nestene thing."

"You can't just leave it there!" Angel smiled.

As Rose launched into the tale of her daring deeds and adventures with the Doctor, neither of them noticed the man himself standing on top of the gantry, watching them both laughing and bonding, with a soft smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did promise to portray Rose in a different light. Excepting her small bout of blaming Angel, which I can see as natural given how torn up she already was in the episode, she's been much better than I've written her in my other OC stories (I think I'll give myself a virtual cookie for that lol). We're starting to REALLY see it here, here Rose will just be an amazing friend. I stuck Angel in just before Rose really started to develop feelings for the Doctor so she doesn't need to feel jealous or clingy of him now. Now, she's going to be one of Angel's best friends, or maybe even, as Pete mistook, her sister :)


	10. Tooth and Claw: The Torchwood Estate

A procession of monks walked into the yard of an old, manor-like house, when the steward looked up from his work. He rolled his eyes, sighing before making his way over to meet the head monk as he pulled his hood off, "Come now, Father," the steward spoke, "You should know better. You're not welcome here, and especially not today. I've got no time to start old arguments."

"We want only one thing," the father replied.

"And what would that be?"

"This house."

The steward started to chuckle at that, incredulous, "You want the house?"

"We will _take_ the house."

"Would you like my wife while you're at it?" he smirked, clearly thinking this was all a great big joke.

"If you won't stand aside, then we'll take it by force."

"By what power? The Hand of God?"

"No," the father's eyes narrowed, "The Fist of Man!"

Suddenly he thrust his staff into the steward's stomach, knocking him to the ground. He kicked him clear across the yard and signaled for the monks to drop their cloaks, revealing bright red clothing beneath. They swung their staffs, using sharp martial arts moves to fight against the household staff. They made quick work of the men in the yard before running into the house and capturing the maids in the kitchen while a few others ran up stairs and knocked out the head of the house, leaving the lady of the house easy prey.

~8~

The steward came around in the cellar of the manor, chained up with the rest of the staff and the lady of the house, when the door was wrenched open by one of the monks.

"In the Name of Heaven..." the steward breathed, before spotting the lady, "My Lady?!" but the lady's eyes were trained on the monks as several of them dragged in a cage, covered by a sheet, leaving it at the opposite end of the cellar, "What's in there? What is it, what's under the canvas?"

The father stepped to the cage, staring at it, unanswering.

"Father!" he shouted, "Answer me. What's in there?"

The father turned a haunted look to him, "May God forgive me," he and the monks ripped the sheet off and the prisoners screamed at the creature that lay within...

~8~

The Doctor was holding a CD in his hand, showing it to Angel, explaining who the musicians were and the types of music they created while she listened eagerly. For the last 50 years she hadn't had much experience in terms of music, no one who had taken possession of her or the Dalek really thought much of letting them listen to it. The musuem especially rarely played anything of the sort of the speakers, there not being any people wandering around it that needed to enjoy it. Van Statten himself was the sort of man who, if the music played was not of his liking, would likely have the person who selected it removed from the property with memories erased. The only thing she'd been able to hear while she'd been chained up had been the screams of the Dalek as it was tortured. Not exactly sounds she wanted to hear as it only served to remind her that, as soon as they were able to examine the true Dalek within, it would be her turn. Not that she didn't know what that would entail.

She _had_ , at various points, been poked and prodded...dissected even. The humans were just _so eager_ to find out the differences between their species, not all of them had the technology Van Statten had acquired, and she was much easier to get to than the Dalek. They took extra measures, of course, to make sure that she would survive their experiments. They didn't know how human blood would react to hers so they would collect any that escaped during the operations and filter it back into her. They didn't know what medicines or chemicals would react to her physiology, so they didn't use any. She'd been conscious when it happened. It had been hell, yes, but she could take comfort in the fact that, much like those in Van Statten's, those who 'tortured' her took pity on her, felt guilt, because she looked so much like a human. They would try to make her as comfortable as they could while still maintaining objectiveness, gave her time to heal before running more less invasive tests on her. The dissection only ever happened once whenever she changed hands, sometimes not at all, like with Van Statten.

She didn't hold it against the humans for what they did. There were different ways to learn things, they were curious, and she refused to believe that they _genuinely_ wished to harm her through their actions, the humans the Doctor loved so much couldn't be _that_ cruel. She _had_ to believe that, it was the only way she could cope with what happened.

That it just...happened.

And, she supposed, she knew that it _wouldn't_ happen again. Now, looking back on it, when she'd arrived in Van Statten's, when she'd heard the Dalek's screams, she coudln't help the feeling that she was grateful it wouldn't happen to her. It was like, deep down, she just _knew_ that she would get out before they could move onto her. Now she knew, it was because of the Doctor. Somewhere inside her, she must have sensed that he would come, that he would rescue her, and that she would be safe.

It had happened, it was in the past, somewhere that she couldn't live, it wasn't healthy. In their own personal timelines, there was only the present and the future, ones that, she had to admit, were far beyond her wildest dreams and made her so happy she honestly couldn't believe it was real. And it was all because of the Doctor.

Rose finished zipping up her bag and shoved it out of the way, straightening up as she gestured to her outfit, "What do you think of this?" she asked, pulling their attention to her as she looked down at a rather short dungaree skirt with a pinkish shirt and black tights, "Will it do?"

"In the late 1970s?" the Doctor asked, "You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this," he pushed the CD into a player and 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads blared out, "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979."

"You're a punk!" Rose laughed.

The Doctor just pushed down a few controls before spinning and pulling Angel to him, dancing with her as he sang along, sang to her, "'It's good to be a lunatic…'"

Angel laughed as he moved her around, "And what a one you are!" she laughed, "You're absolutely mad!" she put her arms around his neck, rocking with the music, "A madman with a box."

"Best kind there is!" he smiled, spinning her around.

"That's definitely what you are," Rose smiled, watching them, "A big old punk with a box and bit of Rockabilly thrown in."

She really was so pleased to see them like this, so happy with each other. She'd see it so often in the Doctor's eyes before they'd found Angel, the loss, the loneliness, the guilt, the sorrow...he'd had a terrible burden placed upon him due to the War, a burden she hadn't been able to lift or lighten. No one had, not till Angel came aboard. She'd seen it happening through their travels, seen the light growing in the Doctor's eyes, positively sparkling whenever Angel was around or even mentioned. He'd finally been able to share that burden with someone who had lived through the War, seen the destruction the Daleks had done, seen what their own people had become, and _understood_. She understood why he'd done what he had and did not hold it against him in the slightest. Angel had been able to give him the forgiveness he so desperately needed to even begin to heal.

And heal he had.

Just looking at them now, it was hard to imagine the beaming man before her had been such a brooding and angry mess. You'd never think it watching how happy he was around Angel.

"Would you like to see him?" the Doctor looked over at Rose as he and Angel continued to dance.

"How'd you mean? In concert?"

"What else is a TARDIS for?" the Doctor countered as he separated from Angel but still danced his way around the console.

"All sorts of things!" Angel laughed, the Doctor chuckling at that. Angel turned to Rose, "We can go and watch the Battle of Trafalgar, or...the _first_ anti-gravity Olympics. Oh! Or we can join Caesar crossing the Rubicon or..."

"Ian Dury at the Top Rank!" the Doctor cut in with a smile, making a mental note to visit all of those places and events, Angel must have been curious about them if she could list them off the top of her head. And he really did love seeing her smile, much like she did with him. He put in some more coordinates, getting them ready, "Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?"

"Sheffield it is!" Rose cheered.

"Fantastic!" Angel agreed, poking him in the side jokingly as she passed him to turn a knob he'd forgotten.

"Hold on tight!" the Doctor called. He pulled a lever and they all lurched forward as the TARDIS shook and whizzed through the Vortex...

And then the Doctor started whacking the console with hammer in time with the music.

"Oi!" Angel shouted, half jumping on his back, "Stop hitting her!"

Rose couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the Doctor, swinging away, with Angel dangling from his back.

"Stop it!" she tried again, clinging to him with one arm while her other reached out to grab his hammer-weilding arm.

The Doctor stopped hitting the console just as the TARDIS jerked, sending them all to the floor. The Doctor twisted himself so Angel landed on top of him, all of them just laughing their heads off.

"1979!" the Doctor got up, helping Angel up as well, "Hell of a year!" he turned and pulled Rose to her feet, "China invades Vietnam..." he continued as Angel helped him into his jacket, "The Muppet Movie! Love that film."

"I haven't seen that one," Angel remarked.

He turned and gave her a peck, "We'll watch it after the concert," he promised, taking her hand to give the back of it a small kiss as well, before turning and rushing towards the doors with her, "Margaret Thatcher, ugh, Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me, nearly took off my thumb…" he opened the door and they stepped through, "I like my thumb."

Angel smiled at how he could ramble, "I do too," she squeezed his hand, running her thumb over his thumb for good measure.

She loved it when he got like this, so excited that he spoke so quickly that it was hard to keep up. She admitted she often couldn't keep up with him, but...he had a very nice voice. She loved hearing him talk even if she couldn't always follow.

"I need my thumb," he continued, "I'm very attached to..." before faltering, noticing that they were surrounded by Scottish soldiers on all sides, guns raised. They quickly put their hands up, "...my thumb."

" _18_ 79," Angel said quietly to him as the guns clicked, ready to fire.

"Same difference," he shrugged.

"You will explain your presence," the Captain of the Guard stated from atop his horse, "And the nakedness of this girl."

Rose looked down at herself, starting to blush, wanting desperately to tug on the hem of her skirt but couldn't lower her hands.

"Are we in Scotland?" the Doctor asked, taking on a Scottish accent.

"How can you be ignorant of that?"

"Oh, I'm…I'm dazed and confused," he started to smile, "As I often am around my lovely," he beamed at Angel, winking at her, "I've been helping her chase this...this wee naked child," and then nodded at Rose, "Over hill and over dale. In't that right, ya...timorous beastie?"

"Ooch, aye!" Rose said with a horrid attempt at a Scottish accent, "I've been oot and aboot."

"No, don't do that," the Doctor whispered to her.

"Hoots mon."

"No, really don't," Angel agreed, just barely managing not to laugh, " _Really_."

This was a first, it wasn't often she got to laugh at Rose. More often then not, when Rose was trying to be funny, the joke would go over her head...if that was the right phrase. She didn't really understand that one. But she'd miss the joke and laugh once it had been explained. But this... _this_ was really funny.

Rose just smiled at her and nudged her.

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" the Captain called out to them.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon," the Doctor introduced, "With my...wife...Angela," he nodded at Angel.

"Wife?" she whispered at him, her eyes wide.

He just shot her a smile, making her smile thoughtfully in return, blushing lightly, before continuing on with his explanation to the Captain, "From the...Township of Balamory. Eh...I have my credentials, if I may..." he gestured towards his pocket and the Captain nodded. He fumbled to get his psychic paper out, showing it to the man, "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Dr. Bell himself."

"Let them approach," a woman's voice called from the carriage the soldiers were guarding.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am," the Captain replied, still suspicious of the trio.

"Let them approach."

The Doctor gestured towards the carriage and the Captain nodded again, having no choice but to let them approach, "You will approach the carriage," the Captain stated, "And show _all_ due deference."

The Doctor made an 'aye aye' signal and slowly approached with Rose and Angel, one of the footmen opening the door to reveal _Queen Victoria_.

"Rose, Angel," the Doctor smiled, recognizing the woman, "Might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith."

Angel nodded, "Angela McCrimmon, Ma'am."

Rose curtsied, "Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies...for being so naked," she laughed nervously.

The Queen just eyed her, "I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor...show me these credentials," the Doctor obligingly held out the psychic paper to her and she eyed it, "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."

"Does it?" the Doctor's eyes widened at that, "Yes, it does! Good! Good!"

"Sums you up doesn't it?" Angel nudged him a bit, "Protector."

He smiled at her softly, "Same with you," he murmured, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it, "An angel. MY angel."

"My Doctor," she whispered, smiling in return.

"My psychic," he continued.

"My thief."

Rose smiled at them, they were just _so_ sweet, but...there _was_ something she was wondering though, "If you don't mind my asking, Ma'am," she turned to the Queen, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Right," the Doctor nodded, pulling his attention away from Angel to frown at the Queen, that _was_ a very good question, "Why is your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line," the Queen sighed.

"An accident?"

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."

Angel frowned before realizing, "An assassination attempt?"

"What, seriously?" Rose's eyes widened in shock, "There's people out to kill ya?"

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun," the Queen informed her.

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence," the Captain called from his horse, "We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."

"This Doctor, his wife, and their...timorous beastie will come with us."

"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving, it's almost nightfall."

"Indeed," she agreed, "And there are stories of wolves in these parts…" the Doctor cast a glance at Angel as she stiffened beside him, "Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"

"What is it?" he whispered to her as the carriage drove past.

"It's more than just a story," she replied, equally as quiet.

Rose turned to them, grinning, not having heard their hushed conversation, "It's funny though, 'cos you say 'assassination' and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her."

"1879," the Doctor shrugged as they turned to follow, "She's had...oh...six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else...we just met Queen Victoria!"

"I know!" Rose squealed excitedly.

"It's _amazing_ ," Angel agreed.

"She was just _sitting_ there!"

"Like a stamp," the Doctor nodded.

"I want her to say," Rose began, putting on an affected, upper class accent, "'We are not amused,'" before dropping it, "I bet you five quid I can make her say it."

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveler in time."

"…ten quid?"

"Done."

"I wouldn't take that bet if I were you," Angel remarked.

He looked at her, amused, "What, you think she'll do it?"

"Not saying," Angel replied with a grin. The Doctor shrugged and turned back to walk, Angel shooting Rose a wink behind his back.

Rose grinned excitedly at the hint that she might just win this bet.

~8~

The carriage pulled up to a large stone manor reading 'Torchwood Estate,' a man, the head of the house, looking down from a window, uneasily, "I can't do this. It's _treason_."

The head monk appeared behind him, "Then your wife will suffer the consequences. And believe me, Sir Robert...she will be _devoured_."

Sir Robert closed his eyes, helpless, before making his way downstairs to greet his guests with the monk following. He stepped out of the house just as a footman opened the door to the carriage, helping the Queen down, "Your Majesty," he bowed.

"Sir Robert," she nodded, "My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?"

"She's...indisposed," he supplied hesitantly, earning a frown from Angel, "I'm afraid, she's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her, the kitchens are barely stocked...I wouldn't blame your Majesty if you wanted to ride on."

Angel glanced at the Doctor, seeing that he too had sensed that Sir Robert was trying to warn the Queen away. She looked back, only to find her attention drawn to the bald staff members behind the man instead.

"Oh, not at all!" the Queen replied cheerily, "I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is...charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?" Robert was reluctant though the Queen didn't seem to notice, "And please excuse the naked girl."

"Sorry," Rose smiled bashfully.

"She's a feral child," the Doctor added, "I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so..."

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused," Rose commented, turning to look pointedly at the Queen, "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters," the Queen shook her head, "Shall we proceed?"

Sir Robert nodded and they began to make their way into the house, leaving Rose, Angel, and the Doctor outside with the guards.

"So close," Rose muttered.

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property," the Captain commanded, "Hurry up."

"Yes, sir," the two soldiers said, moving off to do their tasks. One of them pulled a small wooden box from the carriage and carried it carefully into the house.

"What's in there, then?" the Doctor asked, watching them.

"Property of the Crown," the Captain said sharply, "You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions."

"You heard the orders," a soldier turned to the Doctor, "Positions, sir."

He nodded and they turned to head into the house, "But the guards won't be watching them," Angel remarked quietly, glancing back at the soldiers.

"Who?" the Doctor frowned, turning to her.

"The staff."

"What about them?" Rose asked her.

"They're wrong. They just…feel _wrong_."

~8~

In the cellar, the prisoners watched the shadows go past the door into the house with fear in their eyes, turning to look at the man in the cage across from them. He simply raised a finger to his lips, shushing them.

~8~

One of the soldiers placed the wooden box carefully inside a safe, "Guard it with your life," the Captain ordered, shutting the door, sealing it in.

~8~

Sir Robert led them to the observatory at the top of the house, the Queen, Rose, Angel, and the Doctor entering with three of the bald staff members. They stopped and stared in awe at what looked like an enormous telescope in the middle of the room, "This, I take it, is the famous endeavor," the Queen commented.

"All my father's work," Robert smiled softly, "Built, by hand, in his final years. Became something of an obsession, he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."

"I wish I'd met him, I like him," the Doctor smiled, "That thing's beautiful, can we um..." he gestured towards it.

"Help yourself," Robert nodded. The Doctor, Angel, and Rose moved forward to examine the telescope and the wheel next to it.

"Did he use any sort of model?" Angel asked, looking back at Robert over the wheel.

"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little...shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And _listened_ to his stories."

"It's a bit rubbish," the Doctor commented, peering through it. Rose turned and went to join Angel next to the wheel, both of them sharing a look at his rudeness, "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's a stupid kind of a…" he leaned in to the girls, "Am I being rude again?"

"Yep," Rose said at the same time as Angel said, "Yes."

"But it's pretty!" he turned back to Robert, "It's very...pretty."

"Please ignore my husband," Angel stepped up beside him, rather liking this cover he'd come up with, "More often than not his words get away from him."

The Queen nodded, "I do believe though that the imagination of it should be applauded."

"Mmm!" Rose eyed her, "Thought you might disapprove, your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" the Queen gave her a look, "You could easily...not be amused, or something...no?"

"This device surveys the infinite work of God," the Queen looked at the telescope as Angel just patted Rose reassuringly on the arm while the Doctor shook his head at her, "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

"Stars and magic," the Doctor remarked, "I like him more and more."

"Me too," Angel nodded, "He reminds me of someone," she smiled at the Doctor.

He grinned and winked at her before he wandered around the telescope once more to examine it.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company," the Queen murmured, before looking at Rose and Angel, "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

"That's Bavaria," the Doctor whispered to them.

"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported," the Queen added to Robert.

"So, what's this wolf, then?" the Doctor asked, recalling Angel's warning that it wasn't just a legend.

"It's just a story," he Robert shrugged.

"Then tell it."

They glanced at each other as Robert squirmed, glancing at one of the bald men uncomfortably, "It's said that…"

"Excuse me, sir," one of the men interrupted, "Perhaps her Majesty's party could retire to their rooms. It's almost dark."

"Of course," he nodded quickly, "Yes, of course."

"Did you see it?" Angel leaned to whisper to the Doctor, her gaze on the bald men. He nodded.

"And then supper," the Queen agreed, not noticing, "And...could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler and perhaps Mrs. McCrimmon? I'm tired of nakedness."

"It's not amusing, _is it_?" Rose asked the Queen pointedly.

The Queen glanced at Rose before deciding to ignore her comment and turned back to Robert, "Sir Robert, your wife must've left _some_ clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all...there is a full moon tonight."

"So there is, Ma'am," Robert smiled tensely, bowing as the Queen left the room.

Rose huffed but moved to follow the Queen out with a few of the staff and Robert, the Doctor about to go as well when he noticed Angel staring at the telescope. He frowned and walked over to her, gently putting his arm around her waist, "What is it?"

"I don't know," she murmured, reaching out to rest a hand on the telescope, feeling along it, much like she tended to do with the TARDIS, before she flicked a small switch in the side of it.

The chambers of the telescope opened and caught the sun, reflecting through the prisms within and casting dots of rainbow on the floor.

Angel smiled at the sight, "It's beautiful."

The Doctor smiled softly at that, she was so easy to please, just taking joy in the simple things that life offered her, "I've seen better," he whispered pointedly into her ear, nuzzling his nose against her temple.

"Mrs. McCrimmon?" Robert called, appearing in the doorway again, "I've a room prepared," he gestured out to the hall.

"Right," Angel nodded, "Sorry," she smiled, rushing out of the room as the Doctor smiled, watching her go, rather looking forward to seeing her in a gown of the period, she'd probably be lovely.

~8~

Rose walked to the wardrobe and opened the door, finding a brown dress, holding it up to herself in the mirror before quickly putting it back.

~8~

The monks carefully brewed some sort of drink in the kitchen, tossing mistletoe into it.

~8~

Angel stood before a wardrobe, her hand out, gently letting it brush over the different dresses within, feeling the different fabrics.

~8~

Rose pulled out a very frilly gown and held it up to herself, laughing as she put it back.

~8~

The head monk smiled, handing the mugs to the men standing guard.

~8~

Angel's hand stopped on a lovely red gown, smiling softly as she pulled it out to look at it fully.

~8~

Rose smiled, holding up a very pretty, dark blue dress and twirling around, deciding on that one.

~8~

The guards sipped the brew, thankful for the hospitality shown to them.

~8~

Angel placed the dress down onto the bed and began to pull off her duster.

~8~

Rose placed the dress down on her bed, crossing the room and opening another wardrobe, only to scream, seeing a young maid hiding inside, terrified.

~8~

One by one the guards fell down, unconscious, the monks hurrying over to take their guns.

~8~

Angel paused in getting dressed, looking up a moment to stare curiously at the door to the room. She quickly walked over and locked it, listening intently as the sound of footsteps reached her door, testing the knob, before walking away.

~8~

Rose sat beside the young maid on the bed, "They came through the house," the maid was explaining, "The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady."

Rose squeezed her hand, "Listen, I've got these friends, the Doctor and Angel, they'll know what to do. You've gotta come with me."

"Oh, but I can't miss."

"What's your name?"

"Flora."

"Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people arrived downstairs, soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Ok? Come on," Rose got up and led her to the door, peering out of it carefully, stepping out when she saw the coast was clear. If they could just make it around the corner and down the hall to Angel's room, she knew they would be safe.

Angel...the girl seemed to have a knack for survival, even better than Cassandra's. She'd not only escaped the Time War, but survived years in captivity, on top of taking in the Vortex AND all their adventures. She always just seemed to know where to go to be safe and, the times she was able to 'sense' danger on the horizon were growing. She'd even seen the girl save people _the Doctor_ couldn't. Like Lynda and the Controller from when they'd gotten involved in that whole Bad Wolf incident. Angel would be able to keep them safe, she knew. She trusted the girl with her life, much like she did the Doctor, between the two of them, there was no doubt in her mind that she and Flora would be safe.

They rounded the corner, stopping short when they saw a guard, unconscious.

"Oh, miss! I did warn you!"

Rose knelt down beside the man and felt for a pulse, "He's not dead...I don't think, he must be drugged or something..."

Suddenly Flora's stifled scream reached her, she spun around to see Flora being dragged away by a monk before she herself was grabbed and pulled away as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	11. Tooth and Claw: Lupus Est Deus

In the dining room of the Torchwood Estate the head monk entered, glancing at the people sitting around the table. The Queen and her guard were on one side, with the Doctor on the other, an empy chair beside him, Sir Robert sitting at the head with another empty chair at the other end, "Your young companion begs an apology, Doctor," he called, "Her clothing has somewhat delayed her."

"Oh, that's alright," the Doctor nodded, "Save her a wee bit of ham."

"The feral child could probably eat it raw," the Queen commented with a small smirk.

The Captain laughed heartily at that, just a bit _too_ heartily, "Very wise Ma'am! Very witty!"

The Queen turned an apprising gaze on him, " _Slightly_ witty, perhaps. I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited...I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury."

"Yes Ma'am," he replied meekly, clearing his throat, "Sorry Ma'am."

The Doctor looked back at the staff member, "And Angela?"

"Your wife…" he began, smirking.

"Apologizes for being late," a voice said from behind the man, causing him to stiffen, an expression on his face as though he couldn't believe she was there appearing for only a moment before it disappeared, though the Doctor didn't notice as his gaze was locked on something just behind the man.

Angel stepped into the room and the Doctor could just _barely_ refrain from letting his jaw hit the table as he stared at her. She was wearing a beautiful, dark red, high collared, corseted dress with long sleeves and a slightly rumbled skirt. There were very thin black lines running down it. Her hair, her lovely golden hair, was hanging freely around her face, framing it. It wasn't often she let her hair down, liking it more held back and out of the way in it's claw-like clip. She'd always said that hair could get in the way when repairing a TARDIS and, now, even more so in their adventures. But now, it was hanging, a bit more curled than it typically was given that it had been twisted into the clip. It was only held back slightly by two red clips on either side of her head.

She smiled warmly at the Doctor, whose eyes had widened and stared at her unblinkingly, "I hope I did not keep you waiting long," she recited, trying her best to mimick the Queen's speech, she was dressed the part of a woman from 1879, she thought it best to try and _speak_ like one as well.

"Not at all," the Queen smiled, glancing at the Doctor, who seemed to have forgotten how to speak himself as he openly gaped at his wife.

She could see it exactly at that moment, though she had been able to see it all along, just how much the man loved his wife, though now it would be obvious to most anyone. She'd seen the way he looked at her, how his focus was always on her, he was always touching her or holding her hand. He truly looked at the woman, as he was now, as though she were the center of his Universe, like she was his whole world. Which she didn't doubt, that was how her own husband often looked at her and she him. She could see the young girl looking at him now with the same look, that same softness in her eyes. She stared at her husband as though he were the most remarkable man she'd ever met, as though he held her very heart in his hand, which she could tell both did.

Ah, young love.

Angel nodded her thanks to the Queen before taking a seat beside the Doctor, who had jumped up to pull her seat out for her, ever the gentleman, "You look beautiful," he whispered to her, sincerely, just taking in her appearance as he sat back down.

She blushed but smiled at that, "I might just make a habit of this."

"Of what?" he asked, still unable to take his eyes off her, neither of them noticing the head staff member stepping over to one of his fellows and speaking angrily with the man, both casting glances over at Angel.

"Dressing for the period."

"Why?"

"Captain Jack was right about one thing. You _do_ blend in more," she smiled, "And it's quite a bit of fun too," she blinked, "Do you think we could go to the 1920s one day?" she asked him quietly, "I'd love to be a flapper."

He grinned at her, chuckling a bit as he nodded, anything and everything she wanted he'd do his best to provide. He heard someone clear their throat and glanced over at the Captain, who seemed a bit uncomfortable with their whispered words, still not too trusting of the Doctor. And he noticed that, while the Queen was smiling softly at them, Robert seemed to be very nervous.

"Come, Sir Robert!" he called, drawing the man's attention away from the staff, "You promised us a tale of nightmares."

"Indeed," the Queen nodded, "Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction."

"You must miss him terribly," Angel commented softly, looking at the woman sadly.

She looked over at the young couple, "Very much," she said quietly, watching as the Doctor took Angel's hand, "I hope you do not ever have to experience a loss like that as early as I did…" she trailed off, seeming very sad, before shaking her head, "And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the...hope...of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place...it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait," Angel squeezed the Doctor's hand, both of them recalling their people, "Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters!"

~8~

"Don't make a sound," Lady Isobel warned Rose as they sat, staring at the man in the cage, "They said if we scream or shout, then he will _slaughter_ us."

"But...he's in a _cage_ ," Rose countered, "He's a prisoner. He's the same as us."

"He's _nothing_ like us," Isobel replied, her voice full of fear, "That creature is not mortal."

The man raised his head slowly and opened his eyes, revealing them to be completely black.

Everyone whimpered and jerked back as Rose stared, scared.

~8~

"The story goes back 300 years," Robert started, "Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and...devoured."

"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves," the Captain cut in, sure, "Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that."

The Queen looked a bit irritated at that.

"But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation. A boy will vanish from his homestead."

~8~

Rose stood and took a step towards the man, "Don't child!" Isobel cried, but she ignored her, slowly edging towards the man, the chains rattling.

She knelt down when the chains let her go as far as she could get, "Who are you?"

"Don't enrage him," the steward warned.

"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?"

"Oh... _intelligence_..." the man spoke.

"Where were you born?"

"This body...ten miles away...a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."

~8~

"What does this creature look like?" Angel asked, a bit curious.

She was almost certain it was some sort of alien, she just had a feeling. There was little on Earth that wasn't human or known to them, anything that wasn't had to be alien. And, while she wasn't very good at identifying all alien species, she knew the Doctor would probably have a better time of it. But she could help!

"Oh there are drawings and woodcarvings," Robert sighed, "And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who _becomes_ an animal."

"A werewolf?" the Doctor started to smile, interested now.

~8~

"Alright...so the body's human...but what about _you_?" Rose asked, "The thing _inside_?"

"So far from home," it sighed.

"If you wanna get back home, we can help."

"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."

"How would you do that?"

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch."

"You mean Queen Victoria?"

"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions..." he suddenly lunged forward, making everyone jump, "Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!"

"Seen what?" she gasped.

"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you! You've seen it!"

Rose stared at him, hardly daring to breathe as she recalled the whole Bad Wolf debacle, how she had been ment to become the Bad Wolf, whatever that was, but how Angel had saved her from that fate, "I don't know what you mean."

"You saw her burn like the sun," he hissed, as though reading her mind, "But all I require is the moon."

~8~

"My father didn't treat it as a story," Robert added, "He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose."

Angel looked over as the head monk's attention shifted to something out the window.

"I should've listened," he glanced at the monk as well and, seeing him distracted, began to speak quickly, seizing his only chance, "His work was hindered, he made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations."

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly," the Queen offered.

"That's what I thought. But now I wonder...what if they had a _different_ reason for wanting the story kept quiet?"

Angel put her hand on the Doctor's arm, leading his attention to the monk staring out the window, chanting in Latin under his breath, the words 'lupus deus est' reaching them.

"What if they turned from _God_ and worshipped the _wolf_?"

"And what if they were with us right now?" the Doctor agreed, his eyes on the monk.

~8~

The doors of the cellar were thrown open from the side, the ones leading out to the yard, and moonlight flooded in, straight over the man as he pressed his face against the bars with a smile, "Moonlight..."

The prisoners shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what that meant, when suddenly the man shed his cloak and grasped the bars of the cage fiercely.

"All of you!" Rose shouted urgently, realizing what was happening, working it out, "Stop looking at it! Flora, don't look, listen to _me_. Grab hold of the chain and pull!" she turned and pulled on the chain, "Come on! With me! Pull!" there was a growling from the cage as Isobel looked on in horror, "I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on, pull!"

They all stood and helped Rose pull the chain, trying to tear it out of the wall.

~8~

"What is the _meaning_ of this?" the Queen demanded as the room broke out into chaos, the monk still chanting, all of them jumping up, the Doctor tugging Angel behind him as he glared at the monk.

"Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" the Captain pulled out his gun and turned it on Robert.

"What's happening?" the Queen looked around.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, they've got my wife," Robert pleaded.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, dropping his accent, "Where's Rose? Where is she?!"

Angel suddenly turned and ran out of the room, the Doctor ran after her, calling, "Sir Robert, come on!"

They both ran out of the room, following Angel, as the Captain turned his gun on the monk, ready to defend his Queen.

~8~

The man was slowly transforming into a wolf, screaming in pain as his skin bulged horribly, his screams turning into growls.

"...three...pull!" Rose shouted as they all tugged on the chain, desperate, "One, two, three, _pull_!"

~8~

"Tell me, sir," the Captain demanded of the monk, "I demand to know your intention!"

"Lupus deus est," he continued to chant, not at all disturbed by the man holding a gun to him, "Lupus deus est. Lu…"

"What is it that you want?"

The monk stopped chanting and turned to the Captain, "The throne," and suddenly he wrenched the gun aside and hit the Captain across the face, knocking him out as the Queen watched in shock.

~8~

"Where are we going?!" Robert shouted as he followed the Doctor following Angel.

"No idea!" he replied, still following the girl, trusting her.

She'd done this before, on New Earth, in the hospital. When the infected had been swarming, she'd led them down, through corridors, right to Cassandra's hiding room, a safe spot for them to figure out what to do. If she had been able to lead them to safety then, perhaps she would be able to lead them to Rose now.

~8~

The wolf had completely transformed, growling and flexing its claws at the prisoners, making them scream.

"One, two, three, pull!" Rose shouted, and suddenly the chain came free.

"In there!" they heard a woman's voice shout on the other side of the door moments before it was kicked down by the Doctor.

"Where the hell have you two been?!" Rose demanded as the trio ran into the room.

"Dinner," Angel replied, rushing forward to help some of the maids, who had fallen when the chain came free, up and pushing them towards the door.

The Doctor turned to see what was happening and stared at the werewolf with wide eyes, "Oh, that's _beautiful_!"

"Get out!" Robert shouted to his wife.

The wolf began gripped the bars tightly, bending them, snapping them, before throwing the top of the cage off.

"Just _look_ at you," the Doctor started to smile as he stared at the werewolf.

"Not the best time!" Angel yelled, getting the Doctor's attention back as the staff clambered out of the room.

"Right!" the Doctor shouted, ushering them out, "Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!"

"Come on..." Rose urged.

The wolf threw the rest of the cage across the room, narrowly missing the Doctor as Angel grabbed his hand and pulled him from the room, all of them running for it, the Doctor slamming the door behind him and locking it with the sonic.

The wolf howled at the moon.

~8~

The Queen stared down the monk, "I take it, sir, that _you_ halted my train to bring me here?"

"We have waited so long for one of your journeys to coincide with the moon," he replied.

"Then you have waited in vain. After six attempts on my life..." she pulled a small gun from her bag and pointed it at him, her hands shaking, "...I am _hardly_ unprepared."

"Oh, I don't think so _woman_."

"The correct form of address is 'Your Majesty,'" she replied, pulling the trigger.

~8~

The steward handed guns to all his men as they crowded around a room, "Arms...and your strife...ready everyone?" he turned to Isobel, "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen."

Isobel shook her head and walked over to her husband, "I can't leave you. What will you do?"

"I must defend her Majesty," he breathed, "Now, don't think of me, just go."

She kissed him, pulling away to hold him tightly, when she felt a hand on her arm, she turned to see Angel standing there behind her with a small smile on her face, trying to comfort the woman as best she could. She hated seeing people sad and...she knew what the woman was feeling. It was what she felt whenever she found herself separated from the Doctor, a terrible fear of wondering what he would do, if he was hurt, if she would see him again. And the worst part was, she was never sure if the tiny feeling inside her, like she just knew he'd be alright, was just wishful thinking or a real 'sensation.' Anything she could do to help the woman, to offer her this one comfort of knowing she'd see her husband again, she would do.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Angel promised the woman who looked unsure, "Trust me," she added, glancing back at the Doctor, "I know how you feel."

Isobel nodded thankfully, seeing and understanding the look, and gathered her maids, "All of you at my side, come on!"

She pulled them through to the halls as Angel walked back over to the Doctor as he tried to use the sonic to release Rose from her manacles, "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths, did it say what it wanted?" he asked, very quickly.

"The Queen, the crown, the throne, you name it," Rose remarked.

"Frederik," Angel offered quickly, "Or Fred."

Rose just stared at her, shaking her head, "What?"

"Fred," she repeated, "You said to name it," she nudged Rose, as though reminding her of what she'd said, not seeming to notice that hadn't quite been what the girl had been asking, "I think Fred suits it. I don't know why," she shrugged, "Oh!" she realized something, "Did you have another name in mind?"

Rose blinked, before having to smile at that. Oh Angel. That was SO her. She really would have to explain expressions like that to her when this was all over but, for now, it really was very sweet how the Time Lady answered questions that didn't need an answer, so innocently.

There was a thumping sound from the cellar, cutting off Rose's thoughts, as they looked around. The Doctor slowly ventured into the corridor to investigate, only to see the wolf at the other end. They stared at each other a moment longer before the wolf growled and ran after him. The Doctor ran back into the room, grabbing Rose and Angel's hands and pulling them behind the line of men.

"Fire!" the steward shouted as they shot at the wolf, "Fire!"

~8~

Isobel and the maids ran through the kitchen, trying to get out the back door, only to find it locked, "It won't open, they've sealed us in."

"Oh, my Lady, look!" Flora called. Isobel joined her at the window to see the monks surrounding the house with guns poised and ready, "They'll _never_ let us out. They _mean_ for us to _die_!"

"Don't say that, Flora!" Isobel pulled the girl into a hug.

~8~

The room filled with smoke from the guns but there was no sign of the wolf, "Alright, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me," the Doctor ordered.

"I'll not retreat," the steward said, "The battle's done."

"But the guns didn't stop Fred," Angel told him, not seeming to notice their stares at her dubbing the wolf trying to kill them all as 'Fred' nor their disbelieving looks at how she claimed their guns had failed them, "The guns won't work on him."

"Listen to her, come with us," the Doctor agreed, and probably would have been chuckling a bit at 'Fred' had the situation not been so dire.

"What would a woman know about guns?" the steward sneered, making the Doctor glare at him in defense of Angel, "There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" the Doctor shouted angrily.

"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall!" the steward turned and stormed across the room to look down the corridor for the wolf. They all watched him carefully. He stood there a moment longer before striding back, "Must've crawled away to die…"

Angel suddenly grabbed the Doctor's arm, a moment before the steward was lifted right up and through the ceiling by the wolf, the sounds of him being devoured drifting down to them.

"There's nothing we can do!" the Doctor called, ushering Rose and Angel out of the room with him while some of the firing squad remained behind, stunned, frozen, before opening fire on the wolf again, both in retaliation of their fallen friend and to try and stop the wolf from attacking again.

They failed.

~8~

Isobel and her maids listened to the firing in fear, "Did they kill it?" Flora whispered.

But the firing just died off, the soft patter of paws on the floor reaching them, drawing nearer and nearer to the kitchens.

Isobel and the maids backed into the corner of the room, Isobel wrapping her arms around them as they crouched down, her eyes fixed on the door when the wolf appeared in the doorway. She screwed her eyes shut and looked away.

The wolf sniffed the air and then...just turned and left.

She opened her eyes and looked around, confused.

~8~

The Queen grabbed the wooden box out of the safe, stowing it in her handbag, before rushing out of the room and down the stairs where the Doctor, Rose, Angel, and Robert had just entered from a room at the bottom. The Doctor shoved the door shut behind them and locked it with the sonic.

"Your Majesty!" Robert's eyes widened, seeing her running down the stairs, "Your Majesty!"

"Sir Robert!" she cried, "What's happening? I heard such terrible noises."

"Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?"

"...Captain Reynolds disposed of him."

"The front door's no good," the Doctor dashed over to them, "It's been boarded shut. Pardon me, your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window," he gestured through a door and the Queen obliged with her head held high.

Robert followed and they found themselves in another room, "Excuse my manners, Ma'am," Robert stepped forward, "But I shall go first, the better to assist her Majesty's egress."

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," the Queen nodded.

Angel glanced over at the Doctor, "That IS English, right?" she pointed subtly at the Queen and Robert. She was able to understand them for the most part, but she found she was much better at understanding 'modern' English, like what Rose and Mickey spoke.

"Yeah," he nodded at her, before noticing Robert was still inside, just standing at the window, looking out, "Any chance you could hurry up?" he asked impatiently.

He was getting nervous. The longer they were there, the better the wolf's chances of finding them and he did not want that to happen. Not with Angel there. He didn't ever want her to be in danger, or hurt, not while he was around to protect her. It was his job as her Mate to keep her protected, happy, safe...and these humans really were taking far to long in their escape.

Robert nodded and began to climb onto the windowsill, only to have Angel dash forward and pull him down just before the monks outside, hidden in the darkness, started shooting at him.

The Doctor ran forward, checking to make sure she hadn't been hurt or caught by a bullet before glancing out the window, his eyes wide, "I reckon the monkey boys _want_ us to stay inside."

"Do they _know_ who I am?" the Queen demanded, indignant at the thought.

"Yeah, that's why they want ya," Rose nodded, "The wolf..."

"Fred," Angel added.

Rose smirked a bit, trying not to laugh, when she realized...maybe that's why Angel had given it a name, Fred, much less scary to call it Fred than a werewolf, "It's lined you up for a...a biting."

"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an _actual_ wolf."

As soon as the words had left her mouth, a howling rang through the house. They spun around, alarmed, and ran out of the room, into the hallway with the stairs, as the wolf slammed against the door the Doctor had locked before.

"What do we do?" Rose asked.

"We...run!" the Doctor shouted.

"Is that it?!"

"You got any silver bullets?"

"Not on me, no!"

"There we are then, we run," he decided, turning to the Queen, "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog," he jogged in place to demonstrate, "Good for the health. Come on!" he grabbed the Queen's hand and led her from the room, all of them running as fast as they could up the staircase, the wolf managing to crash through the door as soon as they reached the top and bound after them, "Come on! Come on!" they turned and ran down a corridor, the wolf on their tails, almost ready to pounce when…

"Duck!" Angel shouted, half-pulling Rose to the ground with her as they all dropped down...just as the Captain appeared before them, shooting the wolf, making it reel backwards down the corridor. They dashed past him, around a corner, into another corridor.

"I'll take this position and hold it," he panted, "You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty."

"I have it," she told him, "It's safe."

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as her Majesty's protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown," he readied his gun.

"Bullets can't stop it!" the Doctor cried.

"They'll buy you _time_. Now, run!" he positioned himself at the end of the corridor, gun ready, waiting for the wolf.

Angel turned, looking down the corridor, her gaze shifting over all the rooms and turns at the end, "This way," she called, leading the Queen and Robert away, down the corridor, followed by the Doctor and then Rose.

She led them right to a library, all of them piling in but Rose, who stopped outside the door and watched as the Captain shot at the wolf, till it pounced on him and ripped him apart.

"Rose!" Angel shouted, seeing her frozen.

The Doctor rushed out the door, grabbed her, and pulled her back into the room, Angel slamming the door shut behind them. The Doctor and Robert quickly got to work barricading the doors with chairs and bits of wood.

"Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute..." the Doctor hushed them for a moment. They listened to the wolf howl and fall silent, "It's stopped."

He looked back to see Angel, holding her hand to the wood of the wall, leaning on it, as though listening through the wall. He watched her close her eyes and focus before opening them, "I think Fred's leaving," she whispered.

"Listen..." Rose muttered, hearing the footsteps of the wolf head away.

The library fell into dead silence as they waited, listening.

"Is this the only door?" the Doctor whispered to Robert.

"Yes," he answered quickly before realizing, "No!" he dashed over to another door, the Doctor helping him barricade it shut.

"Shh!" Rose and Angel hissed at them, listening as the wolf made a sound and then walked away again.

"I don't understand," Rose shook her head, "What's stopping it?"

"Something inside this room," Angel replied as Robert fell down on one of the chairs, his head in his hands.

"What is it?" the Doctor turned to her, confused, "Why can't it get in?"

She looked around the room a moment, as though trying to see what it could be that had kept the wolf back, but she couldn't see a thing, "I don't know," she shook her head.

He stepped towards her and took her hands, "You led us here for a _reason_. What was it?"

"A feeling. It felt...safe, strong...the _walls_ were strong," she paused a moment to think, before shaking her head again, unable to offer any more in explanation, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," the Doctor put an arm around her, comforting her. He knew she was getting frustrated. There were times where she would say something exactly spot on, a clear prediction, and other times when she'd not have the faintest idea why she'd said something that made no sense at all. And then...there were times she'd say something so ordinary that she wouldn't even realize it was a feeling or a prediction till much later. Those were the ones that frustrated her the most, to not even be able to tell.

"I'll tell you what, though..." Rose stepped over, trying to comfort the girl as well.

"What?" she looked up.

"Werewolf!" Rose grinned, earning one for Angel as well.

"I know!" the Doctor agreed as the three of them laughed a bit.

"Are you alright Rose?" Angel asked.

"I'm ok, yeah!" she nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Robert said from behind them, "It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I _tried_ to suggest something was wrong, I...thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?"

"Well, they were bald, athletic..." the Doctor trailed, "Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy."

"They were _wrong_ ," Angel murmured, agreeing that she _had_ noticed something.

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose turned to the Queen.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, Fred. I really wanted to give Angel a little more uniqueness, from now on we'll see her 'dressing for the times' lol. I just really wanted someone to love dressing up as much as Donna did :) They can bond over it lol! Flapper or slapper eh?
> 
> As for the next chapter, well, there's mistletoe in some form, and this Doctor is very sweet on Angel...can you guess what'll happen? ;)


	12. Tooth and Claw: Fighting the Moon

"Do you think this is funny?" the Queen snapped at Rose, glaring at her, completely overwhelmed with the entire situation. She'd been forced into a trap, her life was in danger, she'd _shot_ a man, and her Captain had just been brutally _murdered_ by a gigantic wolf and here this girl was _laughing_ about it!

"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry," Rose answered, slightly shamed.

She just...couldn't _help_ it. Adventures with the Doctor and Angel were just...exhilarating. True, she was scared out of her mind for parts of it, but after the fear faded there was always this rush of excitement, at the knowledge that she had _survived_! She found herself just so thankful that she'd made it that she couldn't help but be happy, laugh, giggle, hug someone. And, recently, the scared parts had been diminishing and the excitement started happening earlier. She knew why though.

Angel.

Ever since the girl had joined them, since just before the Doctor had regenerated really, she always felt...safer...with Angel around. The Doctor had mentioned repeatedly, joked about it quite a bit, that Angel was psychic. If that was true, she trusted the girl to see what was coming, the dangers ahead, and steer them clear of it, or at the very least, know how to get them out of it. And, if not, she wouldn't fault the girl for it, she could tell Angel got frustrated with how odd her abilities seemed to be at times, and, in those cases, she trusted the Doctor just as much to have some sort of plan to save them.

The adventures were really _becoming_ adventures now, at least in her mind. Yes, she knew there would always be dangers out there. Yes, she knew that she could be harmed at any moment. Yes, she knew any trip could be her last. But...she was starting to think Angel was rubbing off on her because...she just _knew_ that nothing too terrible would happen to her with her Time Lords around. Even here, even now, when she'd been captured and taken prisoner, they'd rescued her. Angel had led them right to her and the Doctor had gotten her out.

She could just _feel_ it, she'd be with them forever.

"What, exactly," the Queen huffed, "I pray someone please, what exactly _is_ that creature?"

"His name is Fred," Angel answered, "Short for Frederik."

The Queen just gave her the most unamused look, clearly thinking she was jesting.

"You'd call it a werewolf," the Doctor scratched his ear, "But technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength hemovariform."

"And should I trust either of you, sir?" the Queen narrowed her eyes at him, "Your wife, who makes friends with beasts! Who gives them names! Or you, who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"

The Doctor stood there, realizing he'd completely forgotten the Scottish accent, "Oh...right, sorry…"

"I'll not have it! No, sir, not you...not your wife...not that thing... _none_ of it. _This_ is _not_ my world."

~8~

Isobel stood, looking at the monks outside, squinting as she made out a garland of mistletoe around their necks, "Mistletoe...they're all garlanded in mistletoe and the wolf doesn't attack them. Who brought this into the kitchen?"

"It must've been the Brethren," Flora replied, looking at the mistletoe still lying on the table and scattered around the room.

"Gather it up. Quickly. Every last scrap!" the maids began to clamor to gather the green plant up, "Quick, now!"

~8~

The Doctor touched the woodwork of the library, "The _walls_ are strong," he murmured, recalling Angel's words as he eyed a carving of a mistletoe plant on the door, "Mistletoe...Sir Robert, did you father put that there?"

"I don't know, I suppose..." he murmured.

"On the other door, too..." the Doctor thought out loud, "A carving wouldn't be enough...I wonder..." he turned and quickly licked the woodwork, making Rose and Angel grimace, "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe, it's been worked into the wood like a varnish!" he paused, turning to face Angel with a grin, "That means we're standing under mistletoe," he told her, pulling her into his arms. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before kissing her once more, deeper, he just...could never get enough of kissing her, one was never enough for him. He beamed as she gave him a third peck, it seemed the same was true for her, before spinning around to face Robert, "How clever was your dad?! I love him! Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked, grinning at Angel as she tried to keep a blush off her face. Those two really were _so_ sweet together it just made her feel giddy to watch them. How in the world she _ever_ thought SHE and the Doctor could be made her feel a bit ridiculous now. She could see it, there really wasn't anyone else for the Doctor but Angel. And they both deserved each other so much if they made each other that happy.

"Well, it _thinks_ it is. The monkey-monk-monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things."

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," Robert replied.

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?"

"Being rude again," Angel muttered to him.

"Good. I meant that one," he strode over to the bookshelves, "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world," he put his glasses on, "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have," he pulled a book of the shelf and chucked it to Rose, "Arm yourself."

~8~

The maids and Isobel quickly worked in the kitchen, chopping up the mistletoe, "No sound of the wolf, my Lady," Flora commented, "Perhaps it's gone?"

"Perhaps it's _toying_ with us," she countered, "But my husband's up there. And if there's any chance he's still alive, then by God, I'll assist him."

Flora threw the mistletoe into the boiling water.

~8~

Rose, the Doctor, and Robert were frantically leafing through the books, talking over one another, trying to find something to help as Angel stood on a table that had been pushed up against the shelves behind the Doctor, just looking at the bindings of the books before her, running her hand along them gently.

"Biology, zoology...there might be something on wolves in here…" Rose muttered.

"Hold on, what about this?" the Doctor tossed a book to Rose.

"...some form of explosive..." Robert remarked, moving through his own book.

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing."

Angel paused in her minstrations, her hand lingering on the spine of a particular book, a religious text from what she could make of the faded title. She gently ran a finger along the chipped gold lettering before she blinked, "Doctor," she called quietly.

He turned around to see her pull out the book and hand it to him. He opened it and flicked through it quickly, "Ooh..." and a grin spread across his face. He jumped down from where he'd been sitting on the edge of the same table, holding the book and turning to place it on the table, "Look what your old dad found," the Doctor looked at Robert, "Something fell to Earth," he pointed to the open page where there was an illustration of a rock falling to Earth as Rose and Robert looked on.

"A spaceship?" Rose asked.

"A shooting star," Robert corrected, reading, "'In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery."

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?"

"Maybe just a single cell survived," the Doctor suggested, "Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host."

"But why does it want the throne?" Robert frowned.

"To wear the crown that sits upon it," Angel answered, kneeling down on the table, turning the book to face her as she frowned at the illustration.

"That's what it wants," Rose agreed, "It said so, the...the Empire of the Wolf."

"Imagine it..." the Doctor thought in foreboding, "The Victorian Age accelerated...starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam...leaving history _devastated_ in its wake..."

"Sir Robert!" the Queen stood suddenly as Robert went to her, unable to bear them talking about the end of her reign, what might happen to her beloved country if the wolf were to attack her, "If I am to die here..."

"Don't say that, Your Majesty," he cut in.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me," she nearly spat, before taking a breath, remaining as strong as her years on the throne had made her, "But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself."

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables," the Doctor commented as she opened her bag.

"Thank you for your opinion," she remarked sarcastically, "But there is _nothing_ more valuable than _this_ ," she pulled out the Koh-I-Noor and held it in her hand.

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes...the greatest diamond in the world," the Doctor nodded as he helped Angel down from the table, the three of them stepping closer for a better look.

"Given to me as the spoils of war," the Queen recalled, "Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I..." he held out a hand for the diamond, the Queen handing it over gingerly. He put his glasses down his nose to look at it closely, "That is _so_ beautiful," he muttered, before sending a soft smile at Angel, "Like you."

"Stop it," she nudged him gently, her blush returning as he grinned widely at the reaction.

He _loved_ seeing that blush, what's more, he loved knowing HE was the one to make her blush so beautifully. He took it as an enormous compliment that she only blushed upon HIS advances. He remembered Jack, how the man had flirted blatantly with Angel, right in front of him. True, Angel hadn't been his Mate then, but she had been HIS. Even then he'd felt the possessiveness, the jealousy, the anger, rising in him at the thought of another man taking her away from him, or trying to. He'd never wanted to punch a man more for looking at someone than he did Jack during those first few minutes of meeting him. Thankfully the relationship Jack had tried to forge with Angel, and the one he himself began to form with Jack, had changed dramatically once both men realized how uncomfortable she was with Jack's flirting. He was more at ease around Jack, somewhere in the back of his mind, recognizing the fact that Angel wouldn't ever be Jack's, that the man wasn't a threat. And Jack had toned down the flirting, become more playful in an older brother sort of way with the girl, something he was grateful for. Not only did it mean Jack backed off, but...it also meant someone else was as keen to protect Angel, should anything happen, as he was.

He sighed internally at that though. Even _then_ he'd harbored feelings for Angel on some level. If only he'd been able to recognize them and _act_ on them. He knew his regeneration had thrown her, his sudden ability to show his deeper emotions shocking her a bit. Looking back on it now, it was so obvious to him how he felt about the Time Lady, how much he cared for, how much he loved, her. All he could do, he supposed, was make sure she was always aware of it now and in the future.

"How much is that worth?" Rose wondered, staring at the diamond as it glittered in the moonlight.

"They say...the wages of the entire planet for a whole week," the Doctor replied.

"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."

"And she'd win," Angel remarked, getting a laugh from Rose.

"Where _is_ the wolf?" Robert asked, walking around, "I don't trust this silence."

"Why do you travel with it?" Angel looked over at the Queen.

"My annual pilgrimage," she replied, "I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewelers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting."

"Oh, but it's _perfect_ ," Rose frowned.

"My late husband never thought so."

"Now, there's a fact," the Doctor pulled off his glasses, "Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting," he gently handed the stone to Angel to see if she might feel something off it.

"He always said..." the Queen swallowed hard at the mention and memory of her husband, "The shine was not quite right. But he died with it still…"

"Unfinished," Angel finished for her.

The Doctor's eyes widened, "Unfinished...oh, yes!" he took the jewel and tossed it back to the Queen as he spoke very fast, thinking it through, "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, hold on…" he ruffled his hair violently, trying to work it out, "All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if, this house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?"

"Obviously," she agreed.

"At least, that's what the wolf _intended_. But! What if there's a trap _inside_ the trap?"

"Explain yourself, Doctor."

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was _true_. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you...but for the wolf."

" _That_ wolf," Angel's voice cut in.

They turned to see her staring up as a bit of plaster dust fell upon them from above. They followed her gaze to see the werewolf standing on the glass dome of the library.

"Hello Fred."

The glass started to crack and they ran for the door.

"Out!" the Doctor shouted, "Out! Out!" he and Robert began to destroy their barricade, running out into the corridor just as the wolf fell through the glass dome, landing square on its feet before bolting after them.

"Your Majesty!" Robert shouted as the Doctor quickly shut the doors behind them and they ran as fast as they could down the corridor.

"Gotta get to the observatory!" the Doctor yelled. They careened around a corner, the wolf close behind.

Rose turned around and stared at it in horror, screaming as it pounced at her, when she was suddenly pulled away by Angel as Isobel appeared, throwing a pan of boiling mistletoe water at the wolf. Rose screamed again but the wolf just bound back and ran away, hurt.

The Doctor ran over, pulling Angel into his arms as he held her tight, before letting out a breath of relief and turning to Isobel, "Good shot!"

"It was mistletoe!" Isobel explained.

He ran down the hallway to check after the wolf as Robert ran to Isobel, "Isobel!" he shouted, kissing her, "Get back downstairs."

"Keep yourself safe."

He nodded, kissing her once more, "You go."

Isobel looked over at Angel as the girl nodded, renewing her promise to the woman as she and the maids rushed past Robert, running back towards the kitchen, "Girls, come with me. Down the back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!"

As they ran off Angel glanced back at Robert to see him looking at his wife as though he might not see her again.

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled, running past them again.

"The observatory's this way!" Robert called, leading them up the central staircase, the wolf, now recovered, giving chase once more. They finally arrived at the observatory, the Doctor in the lead.

"No mistletoe on these doors. Your father _wanted_ the wolf to get inside! Get inside! I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!"

"Just do your work and I'll defend it."

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something…"

"I _said_ I'd find you time, sir," Robert replied seriously as Rose and the Queen stared at him, aghast, realizing what he was offering, no, what he was intending, to do, "Now get inside."

The Doctor looked at him a moment, "Good man," Robert closed the door as the Doctor turned to the Queen, "Your Majesty, the diamond."

"For what purpose?" she asked, gripping the diamond tightly in her hand.

"What it was being cut for," Angel answered her, though her gaze remained on the doors.

The Queen stared at her a moment, that girl...there was something...off...about her. She spoke so strangely, seemed to have a sense about her of things to come, seemed to understand the wolf even, naming it. It unsettled her, no one should possess that power, no one but God himself. But now, now was not the time, if this could save her, if this could stop the wolf...she handed it over to the Doctor.

He ran over to the telescope, "Rose! Angel!" Rose ran over to the Doctor, "Lift it! Come on!" Rose started to help him, both struggling to turn the wheel, "Angel!"

"I can't," she replied, not moving from her spot, still staring at the doors Robert had closed behind him. He looked at her oddly a moment and she seemed to sense that, glancing over at him, "I promised his wife."

He nodded, getting back to the telescope, now more determined than ever to get it working. The wolf was just outside the doors, and Angel...she was standing right by them.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"Yes, it is," he strained.

Angel walked to the door, standing behind it, her hands on the knobs, ready. She had to time this _perfectly_ otherwise she _knew_ Robert would surely die, she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let Isobel suffer that fate, it was not something she would ever wish on anyone to lose the person you loved with all your heart, like she did the Doctor. She closed her eyes, focusing, pulling the feeling she often got, her intuition, and forcing it to the surface, something she had, admittedly, never truly attempted before and was praying would work now. She had tried to sense for the Doctor when he'd gotten trapped in the Big Brother show, but that was more her trying to let herself feel as opposed to burying the feelings down. This...this was different...this time, she was _actively_ trying to force a feeling, to force that sensation to the surface...

"I committed treason for you," she heard Robert say through the door, "And now my wife will remember me with honor!"

She quickly pulled the door open as the man slashed at the beast, forcing it back for _just a moment_.

And in that spilt moment, she pulled him back into the room, slamming the door shut and yanking the sword out of his hand to shove between the door handles, locking it from within.

"Get back!" she shouted, ushering the stunned Robert further into the room before running to help the Doctor and Rose.

The Queen lifted her crucifix as the wolf battered against the door.

"You said this thing doesn't work!" Rose yelled as she and Angel struggled on their side to raise the telescope.

"It doesn't work as a _telescope_ because that's not what it _is_!" the Doctor called back, remembering the specks of rainbow that Angel had observed before, the result of sun _light_ , "It's a _light chamber_! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!"

"But there's no electricity!" Rose replied, the Doctor just grunted. Rose's eyes widened, realizing, "Moonlight! But it _needs_ moonlight! It's _made_ by moonlight!"

"Then how come humans can drown?" Angel remarked, "You're mostly water! Now come on!" they finally started to line it up with the moon, "A little more!"

It had _just_ aligned when the wolf broke through the door. Light spewed out of the end of the light chamber and onto the floor too far away from the wolf. It turned on the Queen as Robert rushed forward to try and pull her back but the Doctor just dove across the floor and threw the Koh-I-Noor into the light. A brilliant prismatic beam of light hit the wolf, lifting him off the floor and into the air, turning him human once more.

"Make it brighter," the poor boy pleaded, "Let me go."

The Doctor looked over at Angel, who flicked the same switch on the light chamber she'd touched before, opening all the chambers around the prisms, magnifying the light. With one final howl from the wolf form, the creature vanished and the light shut off.

Rose breathed a huge sigh of relief, Robert looking as though he wasn't sure he'd _really_ just survived that, while the Queen stared intently at a wound on her wrist she had received only a moment before Robert had pulled her away.

"Your Majesty?" the Doctor stepped up, seeing her looking at her wrist, "Did it bite you?"

"No, it's...it's a cut," she waved him off.

"If that thing bit you…"

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart."

"Let me see," he reached for her hand.

The Queen pulled away from him, "It is nothing!"

The Doctor and Angel just gave her a look, not believing her at all.

~8~

Rose, the Doctor, and Angel knelt before Queen Victoria the next morning, Robert and Isobel standing on either side of the Queen, watching, "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee, Sir Doctor of TARDIS," she tapped him on the shoulders with a sword, before moving onto Angel, "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the, Dame Angela of TARDIS," she did the same to Angel before moving to Rose, "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the, Dame Rose of the Powell Estate," she tapped her on the shoulders as well, "You may stand."

They all stood, "Many thanks, Ma'am," the Doctor nodded.

"Thank you," Angel smiled at her.

"Thanks!" Rose beamed, "They're _never_ going to believe this back home."

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond," the Doctor added, "I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave."

"Indeed," she agreed, "Then you may think on this, also: that I am _not_ amused."

The Doctor groaned while Rose and Angel just high-fived each other, Angel initiating it this time, much to Rose's delight.

"Yes!" Rose exclaimed.

"Psychic," the Doctor muttered to Angel.

"Thief," she shot back playfully.

"Not _remotely_ amused!" the Queen continued angrily, "And henceforth...I _banish_ you."

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked as they looked at her, shocked by the turn of events.

"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and your wife," she replied, trying in vain to keep calm, "And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the three of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars, and magic, and think it _fun_. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will _not_ allow it! You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is _good_. And how much longer you will survive this...terrible life," she stepped away from them, "Now _leave_ my world. And _never_ return."

As they turned to leave, they cast one last look back at those still standing in the room. Angel caught the eye of Isobel, who could only smile gently at her with tears in her eyes and mouth 'thank you' with a quick glance at her husband who stood on the other side of the Queen, very much alive, she knew, thanks to her. She nodded in reply before turning to leave with the Doctor and Rose a soft smile on her face as well.

~8~

They hitched a lift off the back of a farmer's cart, hopping off when they neared the TARDIS, still sitting in the middle of the field where they'd left her.

"Cheers, Dougal!" the Doctor waved to the farmer as they walked away and the farmer continued on, "You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria _did_ actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record, hemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it, it came from nowhere!"

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Rose looked at him as he walked arm-in-arm with Angel.

"Hemophilia could be a code word," Angel reasoned.

"For werewolf?"

"Could be!" the Doctor defended.

"Queen Victoria's a werewolf?"

"And the former Mayor of Cardiff was a Slitheen," Angel remarked, matter-of-factly.

The Doctor laughed at that point before continuing, "And her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."

"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?" Rose muttered.

"Well…maybe not _yet_. I mean, a single wolf cell could take..."

"A hundred years to mature..." Angel answered.

He nodded, taking her word for it, "So they might be ready by…oh…"

"Early 21st century."

The Doctor had to smile at that, moving to take her hand and kiss the back of it. He _loved_ it when she answered things like that, so confidently. Half the time she didn't even realize how remarkable that was. To her, it was simple time-telling, but not even he was that apt at it and she did it with such ease. She just had this amazing sense of time, she could guess, right down to the second, how long something would take or what time it was, things like that. No idea how she did it, he didn't think it had anything to do with her 'feelings' or being a precog, not that he could tell, but it was still incredible.

"Nah!" Rose shook her head, "That's just ridiculous!" but then she paused to consider it, "Mind you…Princess Anne..."

"I'll say no more," the Doctor grinned.

"And if you think about it..." Rose really began to think now, "They're very private. They plan everything in advance. They…they could schedule themselves around the moon, we'd never know!"

The Doctor sniggered as they reached the TARDIS, opening the door for them all to head in.

"They like hunting! They _love_ blood sports!"

Angel laughed as the TARDIS began to dematerialize.

"Oh my God, they're werewolves!"

~8~

That night at the Torchwood Estate, the Queen stepped towards her carriage with Robert and Isobel, "What will you do?" she looked at Robert and his wife, "Will you stay here?"

"No," Robert shook his head, after that nightmare, all he wanted was to get his wife as far away from that house as he could, "I think we shall sell it."

"I'd pull this place down," Isobel remarked quietly, still in shock over what had happened, what had nearly happened. Robert had told her, told her of how he'd fully intended to die fighting the beast off, to restore his honor. But then...how Angel had pulled him back inside just in time to save him and still keep the wolf at bay. To come _that_ close to losing the man she loved...she had _never_ been more thankful for anything in her life. She honestly couldn't say what she would do without her husband.

The Queen glanced at the sign of Torchwood and sighed grimly, "Although we may not speak of these events in public, they'll _not_ be forgotten. I promise you that. The terrible nightmare you both endured...the ingenuity of your father...they _will_ live on."

"But how?" Robert frowned.

"I saw last night, that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination. And we must defend our borders on all sides. I propose an institute to investigate these strange happenings and to fight them. I would call it 'Torchwood.' The Torchwood Institute. And if this Doctor or this Angel should return, they should beware…because Torchwood will be waiting."

Robert and Isobel exchanged a look of distress. Although they _had_ suffered terribly, Angel, and admittedly the Doctor as well, had saved their lives…they could only hope that, should the two ever encounter Torchwood, they would be ready.

~8~

Angel was lying on the grilling of the TARDIS control room as the Doctor worked beneath it, just reorganizing some things.

"Doctor…" she began.

"Yeah?" he called.

"Will you tell me about your adventures before the War?"

He popped up from the grilling, looking at her curiously, "Why?"

She rolled on her side to look at him for a moment, reaching out to touch his face lightly, just tracing it, she was getting used to his new face and she rather enjoyed being able to touch him, "Just a feeling," she smiled, about to pull her hand away when he snatched it and linked their fingers together, "I think I'd rather enjoy hearing them."

He grinned widely and pulled himself up, dropping the top of the grilling down, and lying down beside her, never letting go of her hand, and recounting his most favored adventures with his dearest companions.

Not even noticing the sly, _knowing_ smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Rose, leave the predicting to the psychics yeah?
> 
> You have to love when Angel gets a sly, knowing smile don't you? Because she probably kind of/sort of knows what's coming next, and we know what's in store for the Doctor in School Reunion don't we? :)


	13. School Reunion: Investigations

The headmaster of the school descended a flight of stairs and headed for his office, when he spotted a small girl sitting outside it, waiting. At first he walked right past her but paused and looked back at her, "What do you want?"

"The nurse sent me, sir," the girl replied, "I was in English and I got a headache."

"Then don't bother me, go home."

"I can't."

"Why? Is your mother at work?"

"I live in Ambrose Hall. The children's home."

"No parents," he started to smile, "No one to miss you?" she shook her head, "I see why the nurse sent you. You poor child. Poor... _thin_ , child. Come inside," he turned to his office and walked in, the girl following him, "It's nearly time for lunch," he shut the door behind him.

Suddenly there was a horrible screech and the sound of flapping from within before the girl screamed.

~8~

The school bell rang and the stairways were crowded with children hurrying to get to their next lesson. A boy ran into the science lab and went to sit on the bench just as the door opened and a familiar pair of white trainers stepped inside. The Doctor plunked his briefcase onto the teacher's desk and turned his attention to the class, "Good morning class," he smiled, "Are we sitting comfortably?" he waited a moment before turning and writing 'PHYSICS' on the whiteboard, underlining it, "So. Physics..." he replaced the cap and tossed it back on the desk, turning to the class, "Physics. Eh? Physics. Phyyyyyyyysics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics," the class looked bemused as he sniffed loudly, "I hope one of you is getting all this down. Um, ok, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" a small boy with glasses put his hand up, "Yes, uh, what's your name?"

"Milo," the boy replied.

"Milo! Off you go."

"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge."

"Correctamundo!" the Doctor paused in thought, "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again. Question two, I coil up a thin piece of micro-wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this, how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?"

Only Milo's raised his hand to answer.

"Someone else?" he looked around to see no one else wanted to even attempt the answer, "Nope...ok, Milo, go for it."

"Measure the current and PDs in an ampmeter and a voltmeter," Milo replied, amazing his classmates.

"Two to Milo!" the Doctor nodded and leaned against a table, looking at him, "Right then, Milo, tell me this, true or false, the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."

"False."

"What is a non-coding DNA?"

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein."

"65,983 times 5?"

"329,915."

Some of the students started to look a little disturbed at that but the Doctor continued, "How do you travel faster than light?"

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring."

The Doctor gaped at him, that was _right_!

~8~

Angel, dressed similarly to how she always dressed, though her crocheted, lacy duster was replaced by a solid TARDIS blue cardigan, blinked and stared at the line of students growing along her desk. She'd taken a position as the librarian, much like the Doctor had gotten a job as the physics teacher. She really hadn't known what she could contribute to a school in terms of a cover story. She wasn't very physical so the PE teacher was out, nor did she think herself capable of teaching any of the subjects, save perhaps history, but that spot had been filled by one of the new teachers. She wasn't very good at keeping track of things, often would her mind wander and things got lost so secretary was crossed off. She doubted she'd be able to be a tech teacher as she was better at TARDISes than any other mechanical or technological device. And...well...the last time she'd tried to cook anything they'd had to vacate the TARDIS for three hours till the smoke from the kitchen cleared even with the extractor fans running at full pelt.

She was fairly certain the TARDIS had been laughing at her after that attempt.

She'd pouted a bit, she'd been trying to make a cake as a treat for Rose and the Doctor, just on a whim, little cupcakes really with those edible ball-bearings on top, but it had blown up in her face...literally exploded...and then set fire to the kitchen. The Doctor though, ever the doctor in wanting to make her feel better, had just smiled and remarked that he was actually _happy_ that she wasn't a great cook. She'd been confused by that, not sure why he was so pleased she'd basically failed, and he'd just said that...she was perfect. To him, she really was just...perfect. She was just so sweet and kind and forgiving and...full of light...that there were times he doubted she was real. He actually admitted to her that he _did_ find himself pinching himself at times just to make sure she wasn't a dream. He honestly couldn't believe that a girl like her, so... _good_...could ever love a man like _him_ , could even exist really. The fact that she couldn't cook, well, it made her _real_. That flaw (because he truly couldn't seem to find another despite her protests) made her that much more real to him. She wasn't just some figment of his imagination, a result of him finally going mad, but truly there and _his_.

And then he'd grinned and said that it would give him the chance to teach her how to cook, a new bonding experience for them.

She'd smiled at that.

But right now, now she couldn't help but sigh as she sat there looking at the children impatiently waiting for their books to be checked out. Sitting there, around nothing but books, made her feel rather useless. All she seemed capable of was stamping the date into a book. She couldn't teach, she couldn't cook, she couldn't really do much of anything. She understood how Rose felt now when the Sycorax had invaded. When Rose was stuck at home she felt useless. When SHE was away from a TARDIS she felt rather useless too.

"Ma'am," one of the young boys called, trying to get her attention as her mind wandered, "My book?"

"Oh, yes, sorry," she nodded, stamping the book out and handing it to the boy who beamed, pleased he finally got a shot at the advanced physics textbook he'd nabbed off the shelf, much to the annoyance and grumblings of his peers.

"Ma'am?" another girl came up to her as she continued stamping.

"Yes?" she looked at her, "Can I help you?"

"Yes ma'am," she nodded, "Would you happen to know if this facility is stocked with any new bibliographic items that may contain situations involving multiple quadratic factors, scholarly stylings of Pythagoras, or collections of algorithmic sequences?"

Angel blinked and stared at her, "I have no idea what you're saying."

The girl sighed, rolling her eyes, "Math? Got any books on math?"

"Oh," she nodded, blushing just a bit in embarrassment, "Yes, back wall," she pointed, "The one on the right. It's only half stocked though..." she called as the girl dashed off after the books. She'd noticed the math and science books were quite popular.

She sighed, stamping the last book, the children rushing to their tables and chairs and desks to get to their readings, quieting down almost immediately, the library falling silent, when another boy stepped up to her, his head bowed a bit. She smiled, "What can I do for you Kenny?"

The boy just placed a book before her, more pictures than words, but all about medieval knights, "I'd like to check this one out."

She laughed, looking at it, "Oh, I loved books like this when I was a child," she told him, stamping it for him, "I think you'll enjoy it too," she leaned in, "Knights in shining armor. Rescuing the damsels in distress. Heroes, rising from the shadows and saving the day," she gave him a soft look, "Much more interesting than any old physics book eh?" she winked, getting him to smile before he scooted off.

Her work there was done, she'd gotten a smile out of the boy. She'd noticed that Kenny didn't seem to be as eager to learn as his classmates, not seeming able to keep up as much, and she could empathize entirely.

~8~

The dinner ladies scooped food onto the oncoming plates of students and teachers alike as they slowly filled the canteen for lunch. The Doctor moved along the line with his tray, pausing by Rose, disguised as a dinner lady, so she could serve him a helping of mashed potatoes, all the while giving him a dirty look. He just smirked at her and headed over towards a table where Angel was waiting for him. He sat down beside her, placing the tray between the two of them to share.

Both of them were nibbling on food here and there when Rose came over with a dishcloth to wipe down the table, "Two days," she mumbled.

"Sorry, could you just…" he gestured to an area of the table with his fork, "There's a bit of gravy," Rose moved to wipe it, "No, no, just there," she wiped it again, "No…"

"Leave her alone," Angel nudged him playfully.

" _Two days_ , we've been here," Rose continued.

"Blame your boyfriend, he's the one who put us onto this," the Doctor shrugged, "And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge _way_ beyond planet Earth."

"And I've checked the library databases," Angel added, shaking her head, "All the advanced books on science have been checked out constantly by at least half the student body already, the other half are on the waiting list. The rest of the students have taken to the math books as well."

"You eating those chips?" Rose asked, eyeing the untouched chips on their tray.

"Yeah, they're a bit...different," the Doctor trailed, watching as Rose helped herself to one.

"I didn't like them," Angel frowned, recalling the taste of them, "They taste...funny. Really oily."

"I think they're gorgeous," she sat down across from them, "Wish I had school dinners like this."

"It's very well behaved, this place," the Doctor glanced around.

"I know," Angel agreed, "I've never seen a library that silent or students so serious and studious. Though," she paused to think, "I suppose I'm just...not a fan of the quiet..." she trailed off in thought a moment.

Van Statten's, and quite a few other places, had been far _too_ silent. No one really talked to her, fearful that they'd let some important piece of Earth information slip to the 'alien enemy' or just because they didn't know what to say. And, in the silence, she could often hear the Dalek screaming more clearly. No, she didn't like the quiet.

She had to smile though, things weren't ever very quiet for very long anymore.

"Which it never is now, thanks to you," she nudged the Doctor playfully.

"Oi!" he laughed, though pleased he was able to comfort her, provide her with that small reminder that she wasn't alone anymore, just like he wasn't.

"I'd take your gob over silence in a library any time," she told him, making him beam.

"Mmm," Rose seemed to agree...though they weren't too sure as her mouth was full of chips.

The Doctor glanced at Rose and the chips, before watching as the students continued to eat them as well, "I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones," he turned to smirk at Rose, "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."

"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," a dinner lady reprimanded Rose as she stopped by their table.

"I was just talking to these teachers," Rose gestured to the Doctor and Angel as she stood.

"Hello!" the Doctor smiled as Angel waved.

"Don't like the chips," Rose whispered to the head dinner lady.

"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," she replied, a bit offended, "Now, get back to work," she turned and left, forcing Rose to follow.

"See?" Rose turned back to them as she walked, "This is me," she waved a hand at her apron, "The dinner lady."

"We'll have the crumble!" the Doctor called after her.

"I'd rather have a cookie," Angel shook her head.

The Doctor laughed, he really did love how some jokes just went right over her head, "Alright then, two..."

"Three," Angel whispered, "One for Rose!"

"Three cookies!" he smirked at Rose.

"I'm so gonna kill you," Rose threatened, returning to her station.

The Doctor looked around, spotting another teacher, Mr. Wagner, he recalled, making his way over to a girl sitting a few tables away, "Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me...so it's time we moved you up to the top class. Kenny?" he looked at the slightly pudgy boy beside her, "Not eating the chips?"

"I'm not allowed," Kenny replied.

"Luke, extra class," Mr. Wagner glanced at another boy, "Now."

He turned and left, quite a few children following him, as the headmaster watched from a balcony above the canteen. He glanced down to see the Doctor and Angel watching him.

"What do you think?" the Doctor muttered to Angel as the man walked away.

"He and the teachers seem rather like bats don't they?" she asked.

He cast a quick glance at the headmaster's retreating figure.

Not remotely.

But then again, knowing Angel and her comments, they were probably some sort of bat-like alien beneath their human-like image.

~8~

Rose stood in the kitchen, drying a tray, as a group of dinner ladies, very _carefully_ , wheeled a barrel of oil in. She eyed them, all wearing masks, goggles, gloves...

"Careful..." one of the women warned, "Keep it steady...don't spill a drop. I said keep it _steady_. Careful...that's it...easy now...steady..." Rose's mobile rang and she quickly answered it, "Right, second barrel, quickly now!"

"What you got?" Rose asked, knowing it was Mickey.

"Confirmation," Mickey said, "I just got into army records. Three months ago, _massive_ UFO activity. They logged over _forty_ sightings, lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, 'cos then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out."

"Tell you what, though," Rose commented quietly, "Three months ago, turns out _all_ the kitchen staff were replaced," she glanced over to see the women moving another barrel with unnecessary caution, "And this lot are weird."

"See, there's definitely something going on. I was right to call you home."

"I thought maybe you called me home just to...well, just to call me home," she remarked fondly, slightly hopeful.

"Do you think I'd just invent an emergency?"

"Well, you could've done!"

"That's the _last_ thing I'd do."

"Watch it!" a dinner lady shouted.

"Because every time I see you, an emergency just gets in the way…"

Rose's eyes widened as the barrel toppled over and spilled onto one of the dinner ladies who screamed in agony and started smoking.

"I've gotta go!" she cut in, hanging up on him.

"Get her up, get her up!" one of the women shouted as the scalded woman was helped to her feet and steered into an office, still wailing in pain. Rose tried to peek through the partition but the blinds were drawn closed. She heard a scream and started dialing 999 when the head dinner lady emerged from the office, pulling her goggles down and eyeing Rose suspiciously, "What're you doing?"

"Calling an ambulance."

"No need. She's quite alright," Rose hung up, when suddenly there was a sound of something bursting into flames followed by a smash, smoke billowing out of the door, "It's fine. She does that," she turned and walked back into the office, leaving Rose looking confused as she cautiously eyed the barrel of oil.

~8~

Mr. Wagner made his way to the front of the IT room, the children already at their terminals, "I'd like you all to put your headphones on now, please," he said and the children did, "Now, children...the things you will see..." he pressed a key on his computer and the children raised their hands to the keyboards, typing unnaturally fast, eyes locked on the screens where some sort of green code was scrolling down the monitor.

~8~

The headmaster led an older woman down a flight of stairs, talking to her about the praises of the school, "My improvements aren't confined to the classroom. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We've introduced a new policy. School dinners are absolutely free. But compulsory. Do try the chips."

"Oh, I'd love to, thank you! And it's got to be said, the transformation you've brought about is amazing. I mean, maybe you're working the children a little bit too hard now and then…"

"Hmm?"

"But I think good results, they're more important than anything."

"Exactly. You're a woman of vision, Miss Smith."

"Oh, I can see everything, Mr. Finch," Sarah Jane Smith stated, "Quite clearly."

~8~

The Doctor sat on a desk, nibbling a biscuit, as Angel sat beside him, fidgeting slightly as she looked around, as though looking for someone, another teacher pacing up and down before them, "But yesterday, I had a twelve year old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy...in _cubits_!" the man stated.

"Things like that have been happening since Mr. Finch took over?" Angel asked.

"Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot," he nodded over to where a group of serious, smart looking teachers were standing rigidly, "Except for the teacher you replaced," he turned to the Doctor, "And that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that."

"How's that weird?" the Doctor looked back at him.

"She never played! Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight."

"Hmm!" the Doctor popped the biscuit into his mouth, "The world is very strange."

"You've got to stop doing that," Angel remarked as the other teacher turned to add something to his tea.

"What?" he asked her quietly.

"Using the lottery as an excuse. What if we end up somewhere where there's no lottery? What then?"

"Well then the winner would be very lucky, wouldn't they?" he grinned at her.

"Excuse me, colleagues!" Mr. Finch called, "A moment of your time?"

The Doctor and Angel stood, turning to look at Mr. Finch, standing beside a very familiar woman in the doorway.

"I _knew_ it," Angel whispered, smiling widely.

"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times," Sarah Jane smiled and nodded at them, the Doctor just staring at her in disbelief and utter _happiness_ , "I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches,' so to speak. Don't spare my blushes."

And with that, he stepped back out of the room.

Sarah Jane caught the Doctor's eye and headed over to him as Angel turned around to busy herself at the small tea counter, giving him space to talk to his old companion, "Hello!" Sarah Jane grinned.

"Oh, I should think so!" he beamed.

"And, you are..."

"Hmm?" he shook his head quickly, snapping out of his thoughts, "Uh, Smith. John Smith."

"John Smith?" she eyed him curiously, "I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name."

"Well, it's a very common name!"

She paused a moment in thought, "He was a very uncommon man," she held her hand out to him, "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet _you_!" he shook her hand eagerly, "Yes! Very nice! More than nice, _brilliant_!"

"Um...so, um, have you worked here long?"

"No. Um, it's only my second day."

"Oh, you're new, then?" she leaned in a bit, "So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"You don't sound like someone just doing a profile," he smiled at her.

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here."

"No," he nodded, "Good for you," she gave him a smile in return and turned to greet the rest of the teachers, "Good for you," he breathed, so, _so_ proud, "Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."

"Are you surprised?" Angel asked, stepping to his side.

"Very," he nodded, still unable to take his eyes off Sarah Jane.

"I'm glad," she grinned, "It's strangely hard keeping secrets from you."

He turned to her sharply, his eyes wide, "You knew!?"

"I had a feeling. That we'd meet someone you knew, someone _good_ this time, someone you _really_ missed. I thought it might be an old companion, seems I was right."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to see the look on your face. It was worth it to see you that happy."

He smiled at her softly, pulling her to him, " _You_ make me that happy," he whispered, gently cupping her cheek, it was true, she did make him happy, so, _so_ happy words could hardly express it, "Psychic."

"Thief," she laughed at what had seemed to become their playful nicknames for each other.

The bell rang, shaking them both out of their little world.

~8~

Kenny watched a few of his fellow students go up the stairs, very lost as to why they actually _wanted_ to go to class. He looked down the hall, hearing a flapping noise, before following it to the IT lab. He crouched down to peer under one of the desks and jumped back, seeing a horrible bat creature screech at him.

As he popped up Mr. Wagner straightened up from behind a desk, cracking his neck, eyeing him dangerously, "This isn't your classroom, Kenny. Now run along."

Kenny turned and ran down the hall.

~8~

The corridors were dark and empty that night, the chairs up on the desks when a torch shown into a classroom. Sarah Jane appeared at the window, undoing the latch and peering inside. When she was sure the coast was clear she hoisted herself in.

~8~

The Doctor opened a fire door, stepping through with Angel into a dark corridor, followed by Rose and Mickey.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night," Rose shivered a bit, "It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."

"You never know," Angel looked around at the dark hall, "They just might…"

"Alright, team," the Doctor turned to them, "Oh, I hate people who say 'team.' Um...'gang.' Um...'comrades.' Uh...anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department, Angel, try the nurse's room for records on the kids getting sick, I'm gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes."

He turned and took off up the stairs as Angel ran down a hall, leaving Mickey and Rose standing there, "You gonna be alright?" Rose asked Mickey, tugging on her sleeve.

"Me?" he smirked, "Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an _expert_ at this," he strode off in the direction Angel had gone while Rose stood there, smiling, just waiting for him to come back…which he did, "Where's the Maths department?"

"Down there," she pointed the other way, "Turn left, through the fire doors, on the right."

"Thank you," he nodded, striding away again.

~8~

The Doctor headed down a dark hall, his brow furrowed, when he heard screeches and flapping down a ways. He paused for a moment, when his curiousity got the best of him and he turned to follow the noise.

~8~

Sarah Jane started picking the lock to Finch's office when a bang made her jump. There was a screech behind her and she spun around, listening as the sounds grew louder. She gasped and quickly backed down the corridor.

~8~

Rose pulled the lid off the barrel of oil, spooning some into a small jar, when a shadow passed over her followed by a screech. She looked up sharply, trying to spot the source of the noise.

~8~

Sarah Jane backed into a room and slammed the door shut behind her, turning around slowly, only to stop short at the sight before her.

There, standing _right there_ , was _the TARDIS_.

Her eyes widened in shock and she backed out of the room, not believing it…

~8~

Angel had _just_ reached the nurse's office when she spun around, a sense that she was being watched overtaking her. She looked up and down the corridor before slowly turning and hurrying back down the hall.

~8~

Sarah Jane stared at the closed door she'd just come out of, before turning slowly around to see the Doctor standing behind her.

"Hello Sarah Jane," he greeted.

"It's _you_ ," she breathed, "Oh...Doctor..." she started to smile, stepping closer to him, "Oh, my God, it's you, it's...it's...you've regenerated."

"Half a dozen times since we last met."

"You look...incredible…"

"So do you," he smiled.

"I got old," she argued lightly, moving closer still, "What're you doing here?"

"Well...UFO sightings, school gets record results," he gave a shrug, "I couldn't resist. What about you?"

"Same," she laughed, when her smile faded entirely, "I thought you'd died," she said, close to tears, "I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died."

"I lived," he said quietly, "Everyone else died."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone died, Sarah," he said, in quiet pain, "Everyone except…"

Sarah Jane shook her head, not wanting to cause him more pain by making him tell her, "I can't believe it's you..."

And then someone screamed in the distance.

"Ok! Now I can!"

They both smiled and ran to find the source of the scream, almost skidding into Rose at the corner.

"Did you hear that?" Rose gasped, before catching sight of Sarah Jane, "Who's she?"

"Rose, Sarah Jane!" the Doctor introduced happily, "Sarah Jane, Rose."

Rose looked a bit upset and displeased with that as she shook hands with the woman.

"Hi," Sarah Jane said with fake sweetness, "Nice to meet you," she looked at the Doctor, "You can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger."

"I'm not his assistant!" she shouted, almost insulted.

The Doctor winced and tugged on his ear, uncomfortable and wondering where Angel might have gotten to, she would be a great help in diffusing the situation.

"No? I get you, tiger."

The Doctor just sped off down the hall, leaving them to follow, to a room where Mickey was standing, surrounded by dozens of vacuum packed rats, "Sorry!" he said, "Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I…I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them."

The Doctor bent down and picked up a few of them.

"Oh, my God, they're _rats_ ," Rose shuddered, "Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats."

"And you decided to scream?" the Doctor turned to Mickey.

"It took me by surprise!" he countered.

"Like a little girl?"

"It was dark! I was covered in _rats_!"

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."

"Oi!" a voice cut in. Sarah Jane looked up to see the woman she recognized as making tea when she'd talked to 'John Smith' enter, though she was now wearing a lacy blue duster of sorts, "Stop picking on him."

"But…"

"No," she cut in, pointing a warning finger at the Doctor as Mickey smirked, pleased, behind him. She turned to see Sarah Jane looking at her curiously and gasped, "Oh my God you're Sarah Jane!" she quickly reached out and hugged the surprised woman, "THE Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane Smith!"

"Um, yes," Sarah Jane laughed, though throwing a small smirk over Angel's shoulder at Rose before pulling away, "And you are…"

"Oh, right, sorry," Angel smiled, having got so caught up in the excitement of finally getting the chance to properly meet one of the Doctor's past companions. Sure, she had been standing only a few feet away when they saw Sarah Jane earlier, but she'd really wanted to give the Doctor his moment, now it was her turn, "I'm the Angel."

"The Angel?" Sarah Jane's eyes widened, "As in…you're a Time Lady?"

"Exactly," she nodded, "Nice to meet you!"

Sarah Jane nodded as well, realizing who the 'except' had been. She glanced over to see the Doctor looking fondly at Angel.

"Hello, can we focus?" Rose cut in, drawing them all back to point, "Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons," Sarah Jane guessed, "They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?"

The Doctor and Mickey started shifting, looking warily between the women as Angel just watched, slightly confused yet amused at the same time.

"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore," Rose shot her a glare, "They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?"

"She's from the 70s," Angel answered.

"Anyway, moving on," the Doctor shouted, trying head off the fight, not wanting Angel to get caught in the crossfire he knew was coming given how Sarah Jane and Rose gave each other dirty looks, "Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived. We should go and check his office," he tossed a rat to Mickey who dropped it, all of them following the Doctor out of the room and into the corridor.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose shot a look at Sarah Jane.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor."

"Oh! Well, he's never mentioned you."

"Oh, I must've done!" the Doctor tugged on his ear again, "Sarah Jane! Mention her all the time."

Rose paused a moment to think, "Hold on...sorry...never."

"Well he's told _me_ all about you," Angel cut in, trying to keep the two women from going at each other's throats as she hadn't the faintest idea why they were.

"Really?" Sarah Jane smiled, victorious.

"When did _this_ happen?" Rose demanded, feeling slightly hurt.

"Well, you were asleep," Angel explained, "We were waiting to test one of the repairs…got to talking…" Rose just rolled her eyes and walked off quickly, "Rose!" Angel called, hurrying after her as Sarah Jane sped off after them.

"Ho ho mate!" Mickey laughed, patting the Doctor on the back, "The past meets the present and the future…welcome to every man's worst nightmare," he grinned at the Doctor as they took off after the women.

~8~

The Doctor used the sonic on the lock of Mr. Finch's office, "Maybe those rats were food."

"Food for what?" Rose asked.

He opened the door and looked inside, his gaze travelling up at some rather odd noises, his eyes widening at the sight, "Rose...you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school...well...they do."

They looked up at a number of huge bats on the ceiling, hanging upside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's definitely a reason why Rose is still a bit hostile to Sarah Jane. Different than in the episode as her relationship with the Doctor is different, but still just as important. I know there wasn't much Angel/Mickey bonding here, but it'll definitely be popping up more :)


	14. School Reunion: Confrontations

"No way!" Mickey shook his head, seeing the larger than life bats, before turning and bolting down the hall. Rose and Sarah Jane dashed after him as the Doctor and Angel exchanged a look before shutting the door.

At the sound of the clicking one of the bats awoke and screeched.

~8~

Mickey burst out of the doors of the school followed by the others, hunching over to pant, "I am _not_ going back in there. No way."

"Those were teachers!" Rose shouted.

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse," the Doctor explained, "Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on."

He turned to head in again when Mickey called out, "Come on, you've got to be kidding!"

"We have to get the TARDIS," Angel remarked, "How else are we going to analyze the oil Rose got?"

"I might be able to help you there," Sarah Jane grinned, taking the Doctor's arm and leading him towards the car park, "I've got something to show you!"

She led them straight over to her car, opening the boot and tossing a green blanket aside to reveal…

"K9!" the Doctor grinned at the powered down, rocotic dog sitting there, "Angel, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9, well, K9 Mark III to be precise."

"That's K9?" Angel smiled, excited, moving to pat the dog, "He's so _cute_!"

"He's so _retro_ ," Rose corrected, eyeing the lump of metal, unimpressed, "Why does he look so...disco?"

"Oi!" the Doctor mock glared at her, "Listen, in the year 5,000, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?"

"Oh, one day, he just...nothing!" Sarah Jane sighed.

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?!"

"How could she?" Angel asked, "Half the technology used to make him won't be around for at least another 2,500 years."

Sarah Jane nodded, "It's not like getting parts for a mini-metro! Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!"

"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you?" the Doctor cooed at K9, "Eh?"

Rose and Mickey stared at him as though he'd lost what little of his mind he had left, especially when he started making the cooing noises and petting the tin dog. Angel looked up at the sky, a slight shiver running down her spin, she couldn't help but feel like they were being watched.

"Look, no offense but could you just stop petting for a minute?" Rose cut in, "Never mind the tin dog, we're busy!"

"She's right Doctor," Angel said, her eyes still on the sky, he looked at her, growing serious at the tone of her voice, "I think we should go somewhere else…just for now."

He followed her gaze, looking up but not seeing anything. Still, he agreed and closed the boot. He'd learned to pay close attention to what she said.

~8~

They decided on a nice chip shop close to the school to get to work. The Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Angel sitting around a table by the window, working on K9, while the Doctor and Sarah Jane chatted and laughed. Mickey and Rose stood at the counter, ordering chips, "You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said 'I told you so,'" Mickey smirked.

Rose looked away from the trio, "I'm not listening to this."

"Although, I _have_ prepared a little 'I was right' dance that I can show you later."

"Two quid, love," the shopkeeper held out a hand to her. She handed over the money and took the chips, tucking into them immediately.

"All this time you've been giving it, 'he's different!' When the truth is, he's just like any other bloke with loads of girls!"

Rose plopped down in a seat away from the trio, "You don't know what you're talking about."

And he really didn't. The only girl she could _ever_ picture with the Doctor was Angel. To be honest, that was the only girl she ever _wanted_ with him either. For all the joking that she and Angel were sisters, given their blonde hair, she really _did_ feel like Angel was an older sister of sorts. And she just wanted her to be happy, which the Doctor made her, exceptionally so. She could remember what Cassandra had made her do on New Earth, how she'd been forced to kiss the Doctor. She could remember his reluctance, how much he really _didn't_ want to kiss her. There was a man, with an attractive (she liked to think) woman practically _throwing_ herself at him, and he refused, Angel had even told her that he'd actually apologized to her for the kiss, been upset that it had happened. 'Any other bloke' would have probably loved the fact that two women were attracted to him, but not the Doctor, he really only had eyes for Angel, as it should be.

"Maybe not," he shrugged.

He probably didn't know, he could agree there. The last time he'd seen the Doctor and Angel had been when the man had regenerated. He knew Angel had been terribly upset about it all, blaming herself, Rose not helping her guilt in the slightest, but...he could just _tell_...he'd seen it on her face, it went _much_ deeper than concern for another person. He knew that expression, it was one he often saw in the mirror after a particularly awful nightmare where he would see Rose getting hurt. It was the look of someone who was terrified for the person they loved. He didn't know if the Doctor returned the feelings, but he could see it between them. If he hadn't, the man surely would soon, if he had, well...Angel was a great girl and he could understand why Rose would defend him in that. He was of the opinion that the Doctor tended to cause a lot of other people to fade into the background, his presence just being near overwhelming. He could just tell though, by the looks he'd seen the man give Angel, that she did the same but in an entirely different way. Whereas men and women alike were forgotten while the Doctor was around, no other woman could even be _noticed_ by the Doctor in that way if Angel was in the same room.

He smiled a bit at that, good on them, he was happy for 'em...but then his smile faded into a bit of a grimace as he noticed Rose, still piling in the chips, "But if I were you...I'd go easy on the chips."

Rose looked over at him, half a chip sticking out of her mouth.

~8~

Mr. Finch stood on a rooftop, on a building, on the other side of the road, "Come to me...come to me..." he called out to one of the bats, waiting till it swooped towards him and landed beside him, both of them watching the Doctor and Angel through the window of the shop.

~8~

"I thought of you on Christmas Day," Sarah Jane told him, "This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there.'"

"Unfortunately he was right on top of it," Angel remarked as she worked on fixing one side of K9.

It wasn't as easy as fixing the TARDIS, but she could recognize some of the tech at least. She paused, that was...ironic...that she should have an easier time repairing a box that could bend the laws of the Universe and travel through space and time...but not a simple robotic dog. Oh well, she'd probably just spent so much time around the TARDISes she liked to think they just told her, in their own way, what was wrong.

"And Rose?"

"She was there too," he nodded.

They were silent for a moment, Sarah Jane watching the Doctor before speaking, "Did I do something wrong? Because you never came back for me. You just... _dumped_ me."

"I told him that was rude," Angel remarked, "Not even saying goodbye."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, they'd gotten into about an hour long debate when he'd told her of some of his adventures with Sarah Jane in the TARDIS and how he'd left, "I told you. I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed."

"I waited for you," Sarah Jane admitted quietly, "I missed you."

"Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life."

"You _were_ my life," she corrected gently as he looked at her, "You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and with what _doesn't_ happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?"

He furrowed his brow, "All those things you saw, do you want me to _apologize_ for that?"

"I think she means that it was hard returning to everyday life," Angel cut in softly, the Doctor looked at her, "If I were to take off in the TARDIS and leave you on Earth to live life as a human, time moving in the proper order, slowly…how would _you_ feel?"

He blinked, looking down, slowly understanding, before beaming at her, "You just understood a human!"

She laughed, "She's not just any old human though," she countered, "She's YOUR companion. I understand them better because...they're a part of you," she looked at him, "You're a part of them. I understand you, don't I?"

"More than I ever thought someone could," he admitted.

She nodded, "She just missed you, a lot, like she said," Angel gestured at Sarah Jane, she could understand that. She'd miss someone as great as the Doctor too if he left.

"To get a taste of that splendor with you..." Sarah Jane nodded sadly, "And then we have to go back."

"But look at you," he smiled at her, "You're investigating. You found that school, you're doing what we always did."

"You could've come back."

"I couldn't," he replied quietly, looking away.

"Why not?"

The Doctor couldn't answer.

Sarah Jane shook her head and the Doctor turned his sonic on, returning to repair K9. Sarah Jane looked at Angel, shooting her a grateful smile at her attempt to help her get through to the Doctor, "It wasn't Croydon. Where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!"

"Where was it?" he frowned.

"Aberdeen," she replied, irritated.

His eyes widened at the thought, "Right…that's next to Croydon, isn't it?"

Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head and a second later K9 sprang to life.

"Oh, hey! Now we're in business!" he leapt to his feet and stood before K9, Angel getting up to stand beside him.

"Master!" K9 exclaimed.

"He recognizes me!" the Doctor beamed, ecstatic.

"Affirmative."

"K9," the Doctor pulled Angel a bit closer so the dog could see her, "This is the Angel, a Time Lady."

"Nice t…to m…meet you!" K9 waggled his ears.

"Nice to meet you too," Angel smiled.

"Rose, give us the oil," the Doctor called, holding his hand back to her for it.

He took the lid off the jar and was just about to stick his finger in it when Rose called out, "I wouldn't touch it, though, that dinner lady got all scorched!" she warned.

"I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that," he dipped his finger in and smeared it on K9's sensor, "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."

"Oil," K9 examined, "Ex…ex…ex…extract ana…an…analyzing..."

Mickey grinned, delighted, "Listen to it, man! That's a voice!"

"Careful!" Sarah Jane pointed at him, "That's my dog!"

Mickey smiled at her, sheepish.

"Confirmation of analysis, substance is Krillitane Oil," the dog announced.

"They're Krillitanes," the Doctor breathed, shocked, as Angel's eyes widened, recognizing the aliens.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked.

"Really bad," Angel nodded.

"Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad," the Doctor agreed.

"And what are...Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane shook her head.

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by, you've got bits…bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever, the Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."

"What're they doing here?" Rose frowned.

"It's the children," Angel blinked, "They're doing something to the children."

~8~

Mickey and Sarah Jane hoisted K9 into the boot of her car once more, "So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked.

"The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage," Sarah Jane leaned against her car, "Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes...they're tin dogs," Mickey smiled and laughed a bit at that, "What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"

"Me?" he smiled proudly, "I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support, I'm..." he trailed, "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog," he sat down heavily in shock.

Sarah Jane just patting him on the shoulder.

~8~

The Krillitane on the rooftop screeched, but Mr. Finch put his finger to his lips to silence it, "On my command."

~8~

The Doctor and Angel left the chip shop, Rose following after them, "How many of us have there been, travelling with you?" she demanded of the Doctor.

"Does it matter?" he continued walking.

"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line," she replied, her voice trembling.

"As opposed to what?" he turned to face her, angry and hurt.

Angel remained quiet, this was really an issue Rose had with the Doctor, _his_ past, not _hers_.

"I thought you and me and Angel were friends," Rose said, tears in her eyes, before she turned her gaze on Angel, "I thought we were _sisters_ ," she sniffled, upset, "But I obviously got it wrong."

"Rose…"Angel began, she really considered Rose to be one of her good friends, truly more like a younger sister than anything…why the girl would _ever_ think differently she couldn't understand.

"I've been to the year five billion, right, but this...now _this_ is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to me?"

"No," the Doctor sighed, "Not to you."

"I won't let him," Angel agreed, "I won't let him do that to anyone else, not anymore," she promised.

Seeing him with Sarah Jane had made her realize how much he needed his old companions, the memories he cherished with them, the closure of seeing them doing fantastic and living brilliant lives. She couldn't ever imagine doing that to one of his companions, to her friends, to her...family.

"But Sarah Jane..." Rose shook her head, looking at the Doctor, "You were _that_ close to her once, and now...you never even _mention_ her. It's like you don't even _think_ about her. Why not?"

"We don't age," the Doctor told her, "We regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you _die_. Imagine watching that happen to someone you care about."

"Imagine thinking back to a friend," Angel added quietly, taking his hand, understanding why the Doctor didn't bring up his past companions, but knowing that he really should start, "Only to find out they're dead," because even in death their memories should be celebrated.

The Doctor squeezed her hand tightly, "You can spend the rest of your life with us, but we _can't_ spend the rest of ours with you. We have to live on. That's the curse of the Time Lords."

"Time Lord!" Mr. Finch hissed. They looked up to see him and the other Krillitane on the roof. It screeched and swooped down towards them. They ducked down but the bat just flew away.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane asked as she and Mickey ran over.

"But it didn't even touch us, it just flew off!" Rose exclaimed, "What did it do that for?"

~8~

The next morning, when the school bell rang, and the children rushed towards the building, the Doctor, Mickey, Rose, Sarah Jane, and Angel got out of Sarah Jane's car, striding towards the school. The Doctor paused for a moment, turning to them, "Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this," Rose held out her hand for the sonic but he gave it to Sarah Jane, "Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside."

"Just stand outside?" he asked.

"Here, take these, you can keep K9 company," Sarah Jane tossed him the keys to her car.

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack," the Doctor reminded him.

"But he's _metal_!" Mickey shouted.

"I don't think he meant the dog," Angel called. Mickey just pouted and she jogged over to him, "Krillitanes are _very_ dangerous Mickey," she told him, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, "I'd honestly rather have you and K9 _safe_ till we can see what they're planning."

He looked at her, just a bit shocked that _her_ reason for wanting him to stay outside was _his_ safety, it was oddly nice having someone care about him like that.

She grinned, "And you never know, if we get trapped in there, _you_ get to come and rescue _us_!"

He laughed at that, nodding. That would be the day.

"What're you gonna do?" Rose looked at the two as Angel walked back over to the Doctor who was beaming at her.

He'd actually developed a bit of a growing respect for Mickey the Idiot. Ever since Angel had pointed out how Rose had treated the poor boy when they'd faced Margaret, he'd learned to appreciate just how much Mickey cared for Rose and his drive to help them despite his treatment. And then that respect had just grown when he'd defened Angel against Rose when he'd regenerated, he could hear the boy, how he'd tried to comfort Angel, how he'd tried to get Rose to lay off. He knew that it was quite easy to stand up to your enemies, it was much harder to stand up to your friends, and ever harder still to stand up to the person you loved. The fact he'd done that for Angel had made him respect the boy that much more.

Not that he'd admit that openly, he liked to tease the man too much.

But, he had to admit, it did make him smile to see Angel taking such an interest in Mickey, trying to include him, make him smile, cheer him up when things went a bit too far. She was so considerate like that, hated seeing others sad.

"Meet the Krillitanes," Angel answered Rose, pulling him from his thoughts.

He nodded, "It's time we had a word with Mr. Finch," he said, taking Angel's hand and leading her into the building.

~8~

Mr. Finch paused in the stairwell, looking up to see the Doctor and Angel looking down at him, neither of them making a move to disguise the fact they were watching the other. After giving a hard stare, Mr. Finch continued on his way as the duo headed up the stairs.

~8~

The Doctor opened the door to the school's swimming pool, allowing Angel in first as they saw Mr. Finch waiting for them at the opposite end of the water, "Who are you?" the Doctor called to him.

"My name is Brother Lassa," he introduced, "And you?"

"The Doctor."

"The Angel," Angel greeted, adding, "Nice to meet you," if just for politeness sake.

The Doctor had to smile at that, it was becoming her own little catchphrase so to speak, much like he'd always said 'Fantastic!', "Since when did Krillitanes have wings?"

"It's been our form for nearly ten generations now," Mr. Finch explained, "Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine."

"And now you're shaped human."

"A personal favorite, that's all."

"What about the other teachers?" Angel asked.

"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath," they slowly started walking to the same side of the pool, "And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and...chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you two. The last."

"This plan of yours, what is it?" the Doctor eyed him, taking a single step ahead of Angel, unconsciously trying to guard her against the enemy before them.

"You don't know?" he raised an eyebrow.

"That's why I'm asking," the Doctor replied as they came to a stop before each other.

"Well, show me how clever you are. Work it out."

"If we don't like it...then it _will_ stop."

Mr. Finch paused a moment, eyeing him, "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new."

"War changes people," Angel reasoned, though the frown on her face proved just how much she hated that fact.

"Would you declare war on _us_?"

"I'm so old now," the Doctor remarked, "I used to have so much _mercy_ ," he turned to stare at Finch, "You get _one_ warning. That was it."

He took Angel's hand, turning to walk away, when Finch called out, "But we're not even enemies. Soon...you will embrace us," the Doctor paused, looking back, "The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you," he walked past them with a knowing smile and left.

"No you won't," Angel remarked as the door closed, "You're stronger than him."

He squeezed her hand at her faith in him, turning to go, they needed to find out what Rose and Sarah Jane had discovered.

~8~

Mickey wound down the window of the car, folding his arms, sighing, bored, "'Surveillance.' If you ask me, it's just the Doctor's way of saying 'go sit at the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter.'"

He definitely preferred Angel's reasoning, made him feel less like a…tin dog.

Speaking of, he looked over at K9 who wasn't switched on but had his head poked through the gap between the two front seats.

"That'd be me talking to a metal dog, then."

~8~

Sarah Jane crouched beneath one of the computers, trying to turn the sonic on. She straightened, hitting the keyboard and stared at the sonic as Rose sat with her legs crossed on one of the chairs, "It's not working!"

"Give it to me," Rose took the sonic and rolled her eyes, ducking beneath the desk.

"Used to work first time in my day."

"Well, things were a lot _simpler_ back then," Rose replied, turning on the sonic and using it on the computer.

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah Jane asked, eyeing the young woman.

"I've got a feeling you're about to," Rose straightened.

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be. And I can only _imagine_ what a friendship with _two_ Time Lords can be like. I don't want you to feel I'm intruding…"

"I don't feel threatened by you if that's what you mean," Rose cut in quickly, a bit too quickly to Sarah Jane.

"Right," she nodded slowly, "Good. Because, I'm not interested in picking up where we left off."

"No?" Rose scoffed, "With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What _else_ were you doing last night?"

"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..."

Rose stood and walked a few feet away, "The thing is...when you two met...they'd only _just_ got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya."

"I had _no problem_ with space stuff," Sarah Jane walked over to her, indignant, "I saw things you wouldn't _believe_."

"Try me," Rose challenged coldly.

"Mummies."

"I've met ghosts."

"Robots. _Lots_ of robots."

"Slitheen. In _Downing Street_."

"Daleks!"

Rose gave a smug snort, "Met the Emperor."

"Anti-Matter monsters."

"Gas masked zombies."

"Real living dinosaurs!"

"Real living werewolf!"

" _The_ Loch Ness Monster!"

Rose blinked, "...seriously?"

Sarah Jane put her hands over her mouth, shaking her head as Rose smiled and laughed, "Listen to us. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and...we're arguing over the Doctor and he's not even ours," Sarah Jane relaxed against a desk as Rose looked at her a moment, "And…I suppose…I _am_ a bit…threatened…" she admitted.

"Rose I really _don't_ mean to start up again," Sarah Jane told her earnestly.

"It's just…the Doctor and Angel, they're like my best friends now, I mean Angel's practically adopted me as her little sister. I don't…" she trailed off, trying to find the words.

"You don't want to lose them," Sarah Jane nodded, understanding, "You don't want _me_ to take them away from you."

Rose nodded, looking sheepish at that, she knew she didn't have a claim to the Time Lords. She understood they could be friend with whoever they wanted. It was more the fact that she really _hadn't_ known they'd had other companions on Earth before her. She thought the Doctor at least had been travelling all over with other Time Lords, other aliens, robots and things, maybe a human here or there...to be confronted with the fact that there was someone else out there, someone so close, who knew so much more about the Doctor than she did...having Angel react so happily and warmly, so accepting and excited to meet this old companion...it made her worried. She just...

She didn't want to be forgotten or replaced.

She shook her head, that was the _most_ ridiculous thing she'd ever thought, she now realized. Actually giving herself time to work out _why_ she was so cold to Sarah Jane...what had she been thinking? As though the Doctor would ever replace her! As though Angel would ever just let him dump her without a goodbye! The Doctor had far too much respect for his companions to ever try to _replace_ one with someone else and Angel was just too kind to ever just leave someone. She'd been a fool, worrying needlessly over that. And poor Sarah Jane had gotten the brunt of her fears. She didn't deserve that.

She looked at the woman and smiled, really wanting to put that whole mess behind her and start new. This was an old companion! This was someone who had done and seen what she had, when else would she get the chance to talk about everything with someone who understood it and all the wonders of it completely?

"With you," she began, "Did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd go, 'what?' and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"

"All the time!" Sarah Jane laughed.

"I swear the only person I've ever seen who could keep up with him when he gets to talking about time is Angel," Rose laughed as well, "Even Captain Jack got lost a few times."

It was true. She knew Angel kept on about how she wasn't all that clever and she supposed the girl _did_ get lost on quite a few things. But...when the Doctor got really excited, especially about time travel, Angel really _was_ the only one who could keep up with him. There were times she'd even seen the girl surpass him! One thing could be said, a lifetime around TARDISes had certainly made Angel quite the expert on the subject of space and time. She'd actually seen the Doctor get lost and confused and unable to actually give an answer once or twice when Angel got started, though she was sure a few of those times might have been because he was just staring at Angel instead of actually listening. She, herself, hadn't a clue what they were talking about during those debates, but the Doctor's expression when he realized he didn't know something was hysterical.

"Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Yeah!" Rose pointed at her, "Yeah! He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'" they started laughing madly, "He's even got Angel doing it!" she added before sobering quickly, "But between you and me," she leaned forward conspiratorially, "I think he'd rather stroke bits of her instead."

Both women reared back in hysterical laugher at that.

"How's it going?" the Doctor asked as he and Angel walked in.

Rose and Sarah Jane looked at them, the sight of the pair making them laugh even harder.

"What?" Angel frowned, not sure what was going on.

The women just pointed at her, cracking up.

"Listen," the Doctor cut in, "We need to find out what's programmed inside these…"

The duo just ignored him, flailing around, laughing hysterically, Rose pointing the sonic at him as she laughed.

"What?" he cried, genuinely confused, "Stop it!"

Angel shook her head, "I don't get it."

"Me either," he muttered, sighing as the women held onto each other to keep their balance as they continued to laugh their heads off.

~8~

Mr. Finch entered his office where the rest of the Krillitanes were sitting around a table, waiting for him, "Brothers, we must initiate the final phase. Get the children inside and seal the school. Our time has come, my brothers. Today we shall become gods."

~8~

The children were in the play area, laughing and talking, when the buzzer went off, "All pupils to class immediately," the speaker called, "And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room."

The students started to move indoors quickly with the exception of Kenny. Melissa paused as she passed him, "Break time's finished early. Isn't that fantastic?!" she rushed off again, Kenny waiting till everyone had gone before reluctantly following after them.

~8~

The children tried to get inside the IT suite the Doctor, Angel, Rose, and Sarah Jane were in but Rose quickly shooed them away, "No, no, this classroom's out of bounds. You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall!"

The children turned as Rose shut the door with a huff of air.

~8~

Mr. Finch and his brothers entered the staffroom when one of the teachers stood, "What is it now, Mr. Finch?"

"Slight change in the timetable," Finch replied, "We're having an early lunch."

Mr. Wagner closed the door and soon it was filled with screeching and screams.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, so that's why Rose was a bit cold to Sarah Jane. ...wonder how she'll feel when Mickey tags along, though, it'll be a little different how he comes aboard the TARDIS compared to the show :)
> 
> Just a note...it actually IS cubits :) They do say 'cubits' in the episode, but also a cubit is a real measurement as funny as it sounds. It's a measurement of the forearm (from elbow to tip of middle finger) that was used mostly in the classical and medieval world. Lol, I was watching Jeopardy once and the answer to the final Jeopardy question was...cubits! I was like, DW so would have won me that money lol :)


	15. School Reunion: Valedictions

The Doctor pulled quite a few wires out of a computer and hung them around his neck, flashing the sonic along the back of the computer as Sarah Jane watched him, "I can't shift it," he mumbled.

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything," Sarah Jane shook her head, confused.

"Not a deadlock seal," Angel replied from her position kneeling beside the Doctor, holding the other odds and ends he'd already torn out.

"There's gotta be something inside here," the Doctor remarked, "What're they teaching those kids?"

~8~

Mr. Wagner held open a door for the children, bundling them inside the classroom, leaving Kenny outside, not even noticing the boy run off, scared.

~8~

Mr. Finch entered his office and moved to his desk, "Close the school," he taped a few keys and the screen flashed, overriding the security. He sat back in his chair, burping quietly into his hand, as every exit to the school slammed shut.

~8~

Mr. Wagner once again brought up the code on the children's computer screens, all of them snapping forward and typing quickly as it scrolled before them, all of them lost in the program.

~8~

"You wanted the program," Sarah Jane murmured, "There it is."

They looked up to see every computer in the IT room now had the green code working, including a large screen in the front of the room.

"Some sort of code..." Angel remarked, stepping closer to it, she could recognize that much at least. She didn't have a clue what code it was though.

She glanced at the Doctor as he frowned, eyeing it, just knowing he'd work it out.

~8~

Kenny ran down the corridors, looking through windows, only to see all the children staring fixatedly at the computers, seemingly in a trance. Terrified, he ran back down the hall towards the main doors, trying to get out but they were sealed. He rattled them, calling for help, when Mickey noticed him from the parking lot and quickly got out of the car.

~8~

"No..." the Doctor breathed, staring at the code in shock, "No, they _can't_ be..."

~8~

"They've taken them all!" Kenny shouted to Mickey through the glass.

"What?" Mickey frowned.

"They've taken all the children!"

Mickey turned and ran back to the car, pulling the blanket off K9 and pushing the buttons frantically, trying to turn him on, "Come on, I need some help!"

He whacked K9 on the head, looking away, helpless, when K9 booted up, "System restarting. All primary drives functioning."

"You're working! Ok, no time to explain, we need to get inside the school. Do you have like, I dunno, a lock picking device?"

"We are in a car."

"...maybe a drill attachment?"

"We are in a car."

"Fat lot of good, you are."

"We are in a car."

"Wait a second..." Mickey realized, "We're in a car!" he turned to shout to Kenny, "Get back!"

Kenny squinted through the window at him, confused.

~8~

"What is it?" Angel asked, knowing from the tone of his voice that whatever code it was, it couldn't be good.

"The Skasis Paradigm," he answered, "They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."

"The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane shook her head.

"The...god-maker."

"The universal theory, right?" Angel recalled, her eyes widening when the Doctor nodded. She looked at Sarah Jane and Rose, who both looked confused, and tried her best to explain, seeing as the Doctor was too stunned by the revelation to speak, "If the children manage to crack it, they'll have given the Krillitanes control over everything. All the Universe. Time, space, matter, _everything_."

"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose ventured.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, starting to pace around, working it out, "And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a…as a...conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."

"But that oil's on the chips… _I've_ been eating them."

"What's 59 times 35?"

"2,065," Rose replied quickly as they stared at her, "Oh my God..."

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Angel asked her, actually sounding dead serious as she waited for an answer.

Rose stared at her a moment before giving her a small smile, "Thanks," she laughed, assuming Angel had asked her that to cheer her up, give her a question that couldn't be answered.

Angel just blinked, "No, I really _do_ want to know," she shook her head, "Everyone always asks that but no one ever gives the same answer."

The Doctor smiled, "The oil doesn't make them THAT clever."

Angel pouted and looked back at the code, one day she'd find out the answer.

"But why use children?" Sarah Jane argued, confused, needing to get them back on topic, "Can't they use adults?"

"No, it needs imagination to crack it," Angel said, recalling that much of it from her studies, as she stared solemnly at the screen, "It doesn't just take intelligence, it takes heart and soul as well. Everything the children are will be sucked out of them till they just...burn out."

Sarah Jane gasped at that, her research on the school, on all the children who had gotten so ill, now making sense. They were the children who had been too absorbed in the program, too focused, lost too much of themselves to it.

"Let the lesson begin," Mr. Finch called, entering the classroom as they turned to face him, "Think of it, Doctor, Angel, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the Universe and improve it."

"Oh yeah?" the Doctor glared at the man, "The whole of creation with the face of Mr. Finch. Call me old-fashioned, but I like things as they are."

"You act like such a radical. And yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the _changes_ that could be made if this power was used for good."

"But you _wouldn't_ use it for good," Angel said, frowning at the man, knowing it was true.

" _You_ would, which is _exactly_ what we want," he smirked as the Doctor's eyes widened, not expecting that, "The Paradigm gives us _power_ , but the two of you could give us _wisdom_. Become gods. At my side. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilizations you could _save_. Perganon, Assinta...your own people. Standing tall. The Time Lords...reborn."

The Doctor was silent, staring at him.

"Doctor, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane called.

"And you could be with him throughout eternity," Mr. Finch turned to the humans, "Young...fresh...never wither, never age...never die," before returning his attention to the Doctor, "Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be. Join us."

The Doctor swallowed hard, _so_ tempted, "I could save everyone..."

"Yes," Mr. Finch smiled.

"I could stop the War..."

"No," Sarah Jane cut in desperately, "The Universe has to move _forward_. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship...everything has its time. And everything ends."

Angel stepped forward, taking the Doctor's hands in hers, drawing his attention, "Everything, all things, must die," she whispered, repeating the words she had said when she'd taken in the Vortex, "The War is _over_ ," she reminded him gently, "We need to move on."

He nodded, squeezing her hands, before suddenly grabbing a chair and hurling it through the screen displaying the code, smashing it, "Out!" he shouted at Mr. Finch who stormed out of the room, glowering at his lost chance.

~8~

Mickey started the car and drove it straight towards the school, right through the front doors, smashing the windows. He quickly leapt out, "Come on!" he shouted to Kenny, taking off.

~8~

Mr. Finch let out a screech that echoed through the school from the stairwell he stood in.

Mr. Wagner and two other Krillitanes paused and morphed into their bat-like forms.

~8~

Kenny and Mickey nearly ran into the Doctor, Rose, Angel, and Sarah Jane at the bottom of another stairwell Angel had led them to, "What is going on?" he asked.

"Well," Angel began...when suddenly three Krillitanes half-flew, half-climbed along the corridor towards them.

They turned and ran in the opposite direction, the Krillitanes separating at the end of the hall till only one was following them. They ran straight into the canteen area, trying the doors on the other side but they were locked. The Doctor pulled out his sonic just as Mr. Finch burst through the doors with several more Krillitanes.

"Are they my teachers?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Sorry."

"But they're bats!"

"Aliens," Angel corrected lightly, "That are just like bats in every way."

"Leave the Doctor and the Angel alive," Mr. Finch ordered, "As for the others...you can feast."

The Krillitanes swooped down on them, the Doctor and Angel trying to swat them away while the others screamed and tried to duck. One of the Krillitanes was hit with a red light out of nowhere, falling to the floor, dead.

K9 wheeled in, his laser out, as Mr. Finch roared with rage.

"K9!" Sarah Jane gasped.

"Suggest you engage running mode Mistress," K9 replied.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, leading the others out as K9 distracted the Krillitanes, firing at them, "K9, hold them back!"

"Affirmative, Master. Maximum defense mode!"

They reached a door, the Doctor pushing them through, "Come on!" he slammed it shut behind them and locked it with the sonic.

"Power supply failing," K9 remarked as he continued to shoot, slowing down.

"Forget the shooty dog thing," Mr. Finch said in exasperation.

"Power...supply...failing," K9 announced, powering off.

~8~

"It's the oil!" the Doctor shouted as they huddled in the physics lab, having a sudden brainwave, "Krillitane life forms can't handle the _oil_! That's it! They've changed their physiology so often even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?"

"Barrels of it," Rose replied.

They jumped as the Krillitanes started to pound on the locked door, their claws dipping holes in it.

"Ok, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey!"

"What now, hold the coats?" he asked sarcastically.

Angel smiled, starting to speak before the Doctor could even open his mouth, "Get all the children away from those computers and out of the school."

He looked at her, glancing at the Doctor to see if she was serious, giving him an actual role, an actual task. The Doctor seemed like that had NOT been what he was about to say, but nodded anyway, trusting her. Mickey practically beamed at the opportunity to prove he wasn't just a tin dog and ran out of the doors as the Doctor turned to the group, "Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"

Kenny looked up suddenly, recalling something from science before things became too advanced, _bats_ operated by sonar and if they really _were_ just like bats...

He rushed over to the fire alarm and broke it with his elbow, setting it off.

The Krillitanes outside the door immediately winced and wailed at the sound.

The Doctor beamed and flung the door open, leading them down the hall quickly while the bats were too distracted to attack.

~8~

Mr. Finch, grit his teeth and punched through the wall, ripping out a bundle of wires, stopping the alarm, "Get after them!" he ordered, striding down the staircase as the Krillitanes followed.

~8~

They ran down the corridor, K9 emerging from a doorway, "Master!"

"Come on, boy!" the Doctor shouted, not stopping, "Good boy."

K9 trundled along after them.

~8~

Mickey burst into the south IT room, "Ok, listen everyone, we've gotta get out of here!"

No one seemed to notice him, all the children still working on the code.

Mickey stared at a monitor, waving a hand in front of Melissa's face, but got no response.

~8~

The group ran into the kitchens, the Doctor quickly rushing to a barrel with the sonic, "They've been deadlock sealed!" he ran to another, "Finch must've done that, I can't open them."

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser," K9 remarked, "But my batteries are failing."

"Right. Everyone out the back door, Angel you as well, keep them safe. K9, stay with me," Sarah Jane, Rose, and Kenny ran out the back door, leaving the Doctor crouched before K9 while Angel paused a moment in the doorway, looking back sadly at the little dog, a terrible pit in her stomach that told her this might be the very last time she'd see K9 Mark III, before running on.

~8~

Mickey tried to stop the code from the main computer without any luck. He looked around, he needed to find a way to free the children. Angel was _counting_ on him and...he really didn't want to disappoint her, not when she _trusted_ him with this part of the mission.

He just had to find a way to turn the computers off, but he was running out of ideas. He huffed, looking up for some help, when a bright yellow and black stripped covering caught his eye. He followed the wire covering across the ceiling and down a wall to a single plug socket. He ran over and pulled it out, the computers going dead.

"Everyone get out, now!" he shouted. And the children quickly got to their feet and ran out, "Come on, move! Let's go, let's go!"

~8~

The Doctor moved the vats of oil together, giving K9 a better shot, "Capacity for only one shot, Master. For maximum impact, I must be placed directly beside the vat."

The Doctor turned and moved over to him, "But you'll be trapped inside."

"That is correct."

"I can't let you do that."

"No alternative possible, Master."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, hearing the Krillitanes screeching before turning back to K9, realizing the dog was right, "Goodbye, old friend."

"Goodbye Master."

"You good dog," he smiled.

"Affirmative," K9 waggled his ears and tail.

The Doctor briefly placing a hand on the dog's head before rushing off. He flew out the back door, slamming it shut, locking it with the sonic, only to see Sarah Jane standing behind him.

"Where's K9?" she asked urgently.

"We need to run," was all he said, running towards her, but she didn't move.

"Where is he?! What've you done?!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

~8~

Mr. Finch and his brothers entered the kitchen, "When you find him...eat him if you must, but bring me his brain," he glanced down at K9, who raised his head, "The little dog with a nasty bite," Mr. Finch mocked, bending down slightly, "Not so powerful now, are you?"

K9 just shot his laser at the vat, causing it to explode all over the Krillitanes, burning them, making them scream.

~8~

"Come on, guys!" Mickey yelled, ushering the kids outside, "Let's go, let's go!"

~8~

The Krillitanes wailed in agony, covered in the oil.

"Burning!" a dinner lady screeched.

"You bad dog," Mr. Finch glared at K9

"Affirmative," he agreed, just before the school exploded.

The children outside all burst into cheers as Rose and Mickey joined in, hugging each other.

"Yes!" Kenny cheered.

Melissa turned to him, "Did _you_ have something to do with it?"

"Yeah, I did."

Melissa's mouth dropped open, "Oh my God," she turned to the students and shouted, "Kenny blew up the school! It was _Kenny_!"

The children cheered even harder, chanting Kenny's name and patting him on the back. The only ones not joining in the cheer were the Doctor, Angel, and Sarah Jane, Angel standing with her arm around the distraught looking woman.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said gently to his old companion.

"It's alright," Sarah Jane said quickly, "He was just a...daft metal dog. Fine, really," she tried to hold back the tears but couldn't any longer.

The Doctor hugging her closer in comfort as Angel rubbed the woman's back.

~8~

It was a beautiful day as Sarah Jane strolled through the park and up to the TARDIS just as the Doctor stepped out, "Cuppa tea?" he asked, stepping aside to let her walk through the doors. She gasped, looking around at the inside, awed. The Doctor followed her through and shut the door behind her.

"You've redecorated!" she grinned at him.

"Do you like it?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, I…I _do_. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh...yeah. It'll do!"

"I love it," Rose grinned from where she was standing by the console with Mickey, Angel leaning on a railing across from her.

"Hey, you, what's 47 times 369?"

"No idea. It's gone now, the oil's faded."

"But you're still clever. More than a match for him."

"You and me both," Rose grinned.

Angel smiled joyfully at the two women having come to form some sort of friendship. It was her opinion that past companions should stick together.

Sarah Jane nodded and looked around.

"Doctor..." Rose shot the man a meaningful look.

He looked up from where he was typing something into the console to see Rose and Angel eyeing him expectantly, "Um, we're about to head off, but...you could come with us."

Rose and Angel looked at Sarah Jane hopefully as the woman looked at them, before shaking her head, "No...I can't do this anymore," the Doctor and Rose's smiles faded though Angel's just became more understanding, this was a turning point for Sarah Jane, the closure she needed to really begin to enjoy her life, "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."

"Well then," Angel spoke up, "If _you_ can't come, then I think _Mickey_ should."

Everyone looked at her, startled at her suggestion.

"What?" Mickey breathed, stunned that she seemed to be inviting him.

"You're _not_ the tin dog Mickey, not to _me_ ," she told him as he looked at her in surprise, he hadn't mentioned his fear to her nor did he think Sarah Jane had, "And…" she continued, starting to grin, "I've bonded to the TARDIS as well, which means I am _officially_ a recognized pilot _and_ can take a companion of my own and the Doctor's got no say in it whatsoever."

The Doctor pouted at that.

Angel just smiled completely and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck, "But still, I'd never do that to you, so what do you think? Can he come? Please? As my companion?"

"Oh go on, Doctor," Sarah Jane called, seeing him debating it, "Sarah Jane _Smith_ , Mickey _Smith_. You need a Smith onboard!"

"Ok then, I could do with a laugh," he nodded.

Mickey laughed in delight, grinning widely, excited at the idea that he'd get the chance to see what was so great about being a companion, when he noticed the only one seeming to not be all that thrilled was Rose, "Rose, is that ok?" he asked.

"No, great," Rose muttered, "Why not?"

She couldn't help but feel like it wasn't fair. She knew she was being selfish, wanting to keep the Doctor and Angel to herself, but…they were just… _so wonderful_ …they made her _feel_ wonderful and important and _special_ …with Mickey there, as Angel's companion no less, would they even still notice her and rely on her like they had? Would she and Angel still have the close relationship they'd forged with the Time Lady's attention now partially give to Mickey? She supposed she'd find out soon, wouldn't she?

"Well, I'd better go," Sarah Jane spoke up, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen. She stepped over to Rose, pulling her aside as the Doctor and Angel gestured Mickey over to properly welcome him aboard before Angel seemed to remember something, mid-hugging the boy, and ran out the doors, "It'll be alright," she told the girl, "The Time Lords, they've got two hearts you know, gives them _lots_ of room for everyone in them," she pulled the girl into a reassuring hug, "Find me...if you need to, one day. Find me."

Rose gave her a small smile and a nod, sad to see her go.

Sarah Jane looked around the TARDIS once more before stepping outside for the last time. The Doctor followed her, standing before her, "It's daft," she admitted, "But I haven't ever thanked you for that time, and like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Something to tell the grandkids," he grinned.

"Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."

"Right…" he trailed awkwardly, "Yes, sorry, I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't...there hasn't been anyone...you know..."

"Well...there was this _one_ guy. I travelled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow," she laughed slightly as the Doctor smiled softly at her, "But um, I have to ask, you and Angel…are you…"

"We're Mates," he practically beamed in joy.

"And not the friendly sort eh?" she had to add, laughing at the pink tinge that appeared on his cheeks, "Good for you, you of all people deserve to be happy Doctor," he looked away a bit, embarrassed though pleased, as she sighed, "Goodbye."

"Oh, it's not goodbye…"

"Say it, please. This time. Say it."

"Goodbye," he grinned, "My Sarah Jane," he pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her right off the ground, before placing her back down with a laugh.

"Can I say goodbye too?" Angel called, peeking around from the back of the TARDIS.

Sarah Jane laughed and waved her over, hugging the blonde woman as well, "You take good care of the Doctor," Sarah Jane told her, mock seriously.

"Oh I will," she smiled, pulling away.

"We take care of each other," the Doctor added, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Don't we?"

"Yeah we do," she said softly, just gazing up at him.

Sarah Jane smiled widely at the moment, watching them. He really _did_ deserve _every_ happiness and...seeing him just then, looking at Angel, she'd _never_ seen him happier than at that moment. She was so glad for him.

They gave her one last smile before heading back into the TARDIS, closing the door behind them, leaving her standing alone outside. The engines started up and Sarah Jane slowly turned to walk away, not looking back till it was almost gone, tears in her eyes, goodbyes were always hard.

But just as it faded she caught sight of something behind the box.

"K9!" she shouted, overjoyed to see him looking much better and more updated.

"Mistress!" he wheeled over to her.

"But...you were blown up!" she crouched beside him.

"Master and Mistress Angel rebuilt me. My systems are much improved with new undetectable hyperlink facilities."

"Oh...he replaced you with a brand new model!"

"Affirmative."

"Yep," she nodded in thought, "He does that. Come on you. Home. We've got work to do."

"Affirmative," he agreed, following Sarah Jane as they walked off into the sunset.

~8~

The Doctor stood at the side of the console, typing something into the monitor, smiling as he read through all the reports Sarah Jane had done in her investigative journaling. She really was remarkable. Much like another woman in his life. Speaking of, he looked up to see Angel sitting on the captain's chair, her legs bent, knees to her chest, with her arms absently around her legs as she gazed up at the rotor, her chin resting on her knees, clearly lost in her thoughts. He would have left her to them had he not noticed the small frown and slight worry in her eyes at wherever her thoughts had gone.

He frowned himself, as he often found himself doing when she was upset. It was new to him, that feeling of finding himself smiling or frowning _with_ another. So much of his own happiness was based on her own, when she laughed, he laughed, when she frowned, he frowned, when she was hurt...well, yes, he WAS hurt as well, but there was also the intense, and quite startling given his personality, desire to find what had hurt her and make it suffer equally. It was...strange. He never felt this way before. Sure, when his companions had been harmed or happy, he felt sad or happy too but this... _this_ was something... _beyond_. He could physically feel his hearts constrict when she was upset, feel the warmth bubble in him when she laughed. He'd never felt that way about his 'wife' on Gallifrey. They were, at best, civil to each other for the sake of the children but there had been no genuine love there.

Not like now.

"Angel?" he called softly, making his way over to her, but she didn't even blink, "Angel?" he tried again as he moved to sit beside her, still no reply, "Nella?" he reached out to touch her shoulder.

She blinked, and looked over at him, a bit surprised, "Yes?"

He smiled, pleased she had responded, "What's wrong?"

She looked away a bit, an almost reluctant look on her face and he reached out to gently turn her head back to him, "You can tell me, you know," he whispered.

He knew it was sometimes hard for her to speak of things that were _truly_ bothering her. He knew her mother had been the one she often sat with to speak of her more troublesome thoughts, but, with her mother having died so suddenly and not having that sort of relationship with her father or sister, she kept her fears and troubles to herself.

"You _never_ have to hide anything from me," he added, "Ever."

She smiled, that was so like him, wanting to help in any way he could, make people feel better, ever the doctor, "I just...I can't help but think about my...feelings."

"What about them?" he shook his head, not entirely sure what was wrong. She'd been getting better at feeling them, the number of them increasing, the sensations growing stronger, more...

"It feels like they're getting _stronger_ ," she whispered.

He blinked, "And that's...bad?"

"I dunno," she shook her head, swallowing hard, "I just...these last few adventures, I've been...reacting, before I even realize I have, have you noticed?" he nodded, "It started on Satellite 5, when I tried to find you but...it hasn't _stopped_. I was running around and grabbing things, like the bracelets, and putting in codes I had no right to know and..." she swallowed hard, "I tossed Jack a _gun_ ," she breathed, so quiet he almost had to strain to hear her, "I just tossed him a gun before I even realized I had. I _didn't_ realize Theta," she looked at him, alarmed "I didn't even _notice_ I'd done it till _after_ he'd fired at the Dalek and..." she shook her head again, "I run off, like in the hospital or in the manor, I run off and you always follow and I don't ever know _where_ I'm going just that I have to _get_ there and I touch things and say things and DO things when I don't even know what they mean or why or even that I'm doing it and..."

"Nella," he cut in, taking her hands in his, seeing her getting so upset over all this, "It's ok."

"No, it's not," she shook her head, genuinely frightened, "Theta...I _can't_ help it. It just _happens_. I get a feeling and, before I know it, I've run off or done something before I can even process it. What if..." she cut off suddenly.

He frowned, "What?" he squeezed her hands.

She took a breath, looking at him, "What if...I get a feeling and...and I _hurt_ someone."

He stared at her for a moment before starting to laugh at the absolute _absurdity_ of it all. HER, hurt someone? Angel? His Angel? His Nella? Ever be capable of harming another living soul? He couldn't even get her to swat a fly as she claimed it had it's own life to live! She'd even muttered that she hadn't wanted to start an intergalactic war if she did. He had no idea how that could even happen, it wasn't like a fly could be the leader of a country or a warrior chief or anything.

"It's not funny," she said quietly, frowning as he kept laughing, "What if...I run somewhere and you follow and it ends up being a trap?" she continued as his chuckles quieted, hearing the tears in her eyes, "Or, what if I say something so random and...it ends up being some sort of secret knowledge that gets us thrown in prison as spies? Or what if I react to something and I end up hurting someone? What if I hurt Rose, or Mickey, or...or you?" she blinked and the tears were more prominent, "What if I hurt _you_ Theta?" she shook her head, "I couldn't bear it if I..."

"Nella," he cut in, scooting closer to pull her into his arms as she started to cry, "That will NEVER happen."

"You can't _know_ that," she shook her head into his chest.

"Maybe I can't SEE that," he remarked, "But YOU can," he nudged her playfully, needing desperately to cheer her up, " _You're_ the precog."

"Mickey was right," she murmured, "Psychics _can't_ see _everything_."

He had to nod at that, "Maybe not," he agreed, "But Nella, surely you can see how ridiculous that is?"

"It's nothing of the sort!" she pulled back, truly _scared_ of it, "Theta if I ever hurt..."

"You won't," he reached out and cupped her face in his hands, staring deep into her eyes, "Nella, you are the kindest, warmest, caring, most...beautiful woman I have ever met," he told her, the sincerity in his words shining in his eyes, in his every gesture and move, "YOU could NEVER hurt someone," he smiled, moving to stroke her cheek, "You went face-to-face with the DALEKS and you couldn't even kill _them_. You STOPPED them. You didn't even hold a weapon to the one that took your sister from you," he reminded her.

She looked down and he frowend again, he knew that look. It was the same look she'd had when they'd discovered Margaret the Slitheen had survived, like she'd had a feeling but not told him, "What is it?"

"I think..." she took a moment to try and find the words, "I think I _knew_ it would try to kill me Theta," she admitted.

"You did?" he breathed, his hearts constricting painfully. If she _had_ , why _hadn't_ she taken a weapon to defend herself? Why had she just stood there and let it happen?

His hearts stopped.

Had she _wanted_ to die?

"I felt like...my hearts hurt," she mumbled, her face scrunched as she tried to recall what she'd felt, "My chest kept aching and I kept rubbing it, I didn't know why...and then...I got shot inthe _chest_."

He swallowed hard, "Nella, did you..."

"No," she cut in, looking up at him, offering him a small smile, "If I _did_ know I'd be shot, then I think I may have known I'd regenerate also."

"But why waste the energy?" he shook his head, though he was relieved she _hadn't_ intended to die, he still couldn't understand that. Their planet was gone, the High Council was gone, any and all means of obtaining more regenerations was gone. They only had the energy for 12 and he knew she was on her 9th body already.

"I wanted a new start," she told him, "I knew you'd take me away and I didn't want to be that girl anymore. I had been her for 50 years. 50 years of captivity, of loneliness, of pain and..." she shook her head, "I didn't want to be her when I had a new chance. I wanted a new life for my new start."

"And that's just what it is," he stroked her cheek again, smiling once more, relieved he'd been able to give her that new start, "Nella it's a new start. This is the first time in a LONG time that you've actually LET yourself feel those sensations of yours isn't it?" he asked, she nodded, "They've always been there, just beneath the surface, but you kept pushing them down. They're _just_ starting to rise, to grow as they'd been trying to, only now, you're _letting_ it happen," he watched as she frowned, thinking on his words, "Your abilities Nella...I've _never_ met a Visionary quite like you before. I think, I'm quite certain really, that they've all gone a bit barmy after they came away from the Untempered Schism, but not you. You...are _remarkable_ ," she looked up at him, starting to smile, "Your abilities, your feelings, they're growing stronger because they have the _chance_ to. Let them," he told her quietly, "The more you let yourself feel them, the more you'll come to understand them and, I'm quite sure, the more you'll be able to control them and yourself in the future."

"But what if I _do_ hurt someone?" she asked, still scared despite his reassurances.

"You _never_ would," he promised her, "And if, and that's a very _big_ IF," he smiled, " _If_ you did, then I fully believe that it would be because they aren't a good person and want to hurt someone else and you're just trying to stop them. You're just..." he let out a little laugh, "You truly are a guardian angel you know," he leaned forward and kissed her softly, "You just want to protect everyone."

She gave a little laugh, "Says the man who just wants to make everyone feel better."

He gave her a little smirk, "Did it work?"

She nodded, "It always does," she gave him another kiss before resting her forehead to his in a tender moment, "Just being near you makes me feel better."

"I'm glad," he beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) I will say this, something that the Doctor and Angel talk about in this last scene will come back to bite them WAY down the road...won't say what though :) But wasn't that sweet, we got to see a bit of Angel's insecurities, we'll actually see a bigger one at the end of the next episode :) And yay for Mickey! He is now officially Angel's companion! How awesome right? I always felt like he felt like he was just the tin dog or the spare part during those few trips with Rose and the Doctor, but now that he's there as Angel's official companion, just imagine how different that will be :)
> 
> And now we know what regeneration Angel is on, her 9th :)
> 
> Lol, the Harry Potter line was intentional. It just fit :)


	16. The Girl in the Fireplace: A Broken Clock

Screams echoed through the halls of Versailles as the aristocrats, all beautifully dressed for their party, ran from the ballroom, the sounds heard by a lonely blonde woman, standing before a fireplace, the flames casting a warm glow so contrary to the coldness and darkness behind her out in the halls.

"We are under attack!" the King of France shouted, entering the room and making his way over to her, "There are creatures...I don't even think they're human. We can't stop them."

"The clock is broken," she replied, staring at the broken clock on her mantel, the glass front shattered. She reached out and gently placed a finger to it, tracing the cracks as she smiled, not at all as fearful as the King seemed to be, "They're coming."

The King stepped towards her, concerned that she wasn't moving, "Did you _hear_ what I said?"

He took her hand to pull her away but she stopped and looked at him insistently, "Listen to me. There is a man and a woman coming to Versailles. They have watched over me my whole life and they will _not_ desert me tonight."

"What are you talking about? Who?"

"My guardians, my angels," she looked up to see the King staring at her as though she'd gone mad, "No, don't look like that, there's no time. You have your duties. I am your _mistress_. Go to your _Queen_ ," she turned back to the fireplace, crouching down and calling through the flames, "Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you _promised_. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time. Doctor! Angel!"

~8~

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS to see where it had set down on its mystery tour. They'd debated for ages on what would be the best first trip for Mickey, Angel insisting that it be special. The Doctor had taken Rose to the end of the world, she wanted to take Mickey somewhere equally as epic. The only thing was, there was SO much to pick from! The Universe was ever expanding, there were so many monumental events in human history, in all history really, that to pick just one was nearly impossible. The humas only knew their past and tended to only think of events from that, but the Time Lords knew most of the humans' future and had infinitely more options. It had gotten to the point where Mickey himself had been too excited by all there was to pick from that he just said for them to put the options in a hat and pick from it at random.

Angel had commented that they didn't make hats big enough to fit all the options in before gasping and saying they should go to Ravan-Skala! Apparently the people there were giants! She'd remembered because she'd learned about them in school and they reminded her of the giants from the Earth fairytales, one book of which was the last one her mother had read to her before she'd passed on.

Mickey had laughed and shook his head, explaining he'd meant it as let the TARDIS pick, just go anywhere, randomly. He hadn't meant to literally put everything in a hat, but that now he _did_ want to go to 'Ravskul' at some point too. The Doctor had grinned and hit a button on the TARDIS, setting the old box up for a mystery tour, and there they were.

Rose stepped out after the Doctor, followed by Mickey and then Angel, shutting the door behind her before linking her arm with Mickey, eagerly watching his expression while the rest looked around the dark room, the stars visible through a few porthole-like windows.

"It's a spaceship!" Mickey beamed, his eyes wide in excitement making Angel laugh, happy he was so pleased, she'd been hoping for that reaction. She really wanted to make his adventure with them incredible, "Brilliant, I got a _spaceship_ on my first go!"

"Looks kind of abandoned..." Rose murmured, looking around, "Anyone onboard?"

"Nah, nothing here," the Doctor replied, "Well! Nothing dangerous. Well! Not _that_ dangerous."

"Nothing _alive_ ," Angel added.

The Doctor paused at her words, "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan...in case there's anything dangerous."

Rose and Angel smirked at each other as he walked over to a control panel and started pushing the buttons of it, "So, what's the date?" Rose asked Angel, knowing the girl seemed to have a knack for pinpointing their time, "How far we gone?"

"3,000 years in the future," Angel answered, "51st century."

The Doctor pulled a switch and the lights turned on, the roof slowly opening to reveal a window through which they could see even more of the stars, "Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey! Two and a half galaxies!"

Mickey stepped away from Angel and over to a porthole, looking out in amazement, as Rose walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders, smiling, while Angel went to join the Doctor, looking around the control panel, "Mickey Smith, meet the Universe," Rose smiled, "See anything you like?"

"It's so realistic!" he breathed.

"Dear me, had some cowboys in here!" the Doctor mumbled.

"Literally," Angel agreed, her hand resting on the wall of the ship, "Inside the walls…"

"Got a ton of repair work going on," the Doctor agreed, looking at the fried wires hanging above Angel's head. He tossed a piece away when a screen caught his eye, "Now that's odd, look at that. All the warp engines are going...full capacity! There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the Universe...and we're not moving. So where's all that power going?"

"Where'd all the crew go?" Rose asked, looking around as Angel made her way back to the Doctor, looking at a few controls.

"Good question. You were right Angel, no life readings onboard," the Doctor nodded, flicking a few knobs and buttons.

"Well, we're in deep space, they didn't just nip out for a quick fag."

"Nope, checked all the smoking pods," he straightened up and sniffed, "Can you smell that?"

"Yeah, someone's cooking."

"Sunday roast, definitely!" Mickey laughed.

Angel paused in looking at the controls and pressed a button. A door slid open behind them. They turned and walked through it to see a part of the wall and floor looked like an 18th century fireplace.

"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship," the Doctor remarked as they moved closer, "18th century! French! Nice mantel," he pulled out the sonic and flashed it over the fireplace, "Not a hologram," he knelt down to examine it closely, Angel peering around the back sides of it as Mickey and Rose looked at the rest of the room, "Not even a reproduction, this actually _is_ an 18h century French fireplace. Double-sided, there's another room through there."

Rose paused to look through a porthole to see space on the other side, "There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look."

The Doctor moved over, looking through the fire into another room, only to see a young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in a nightgown, looking back at him, "Hello!"

"Hello..." the girl replied cautiously.

Angel shuffled over to the Doctor's side, smiling warmly through the fire at the girl, her smile widening when the Doctor put his arm around her, "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Reinette."

"Reinette, what a lovely name!" she smiled, making the girl beam.

"Can you tell us where you are at the moment, Reinette?" the Doctor asked.

"In my bedroom," she said slowly.

"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"

"Paris, of course!"

"Paris, right…"

"Monsieur, madam, what are you doing in my fireplace?"

"Oh, it's just a routine...fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"

"1727," Angel replied.

"She's right monsieur," Reinette nodded.

"Lovely!" he flashed a grin at Angel before turning back to Reinette, "One of my favorites...August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Ok, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night night!"

"Goodnight monsieur. Goodnight madam."

"Goodnight Reinette," Angel smiled, "Pleasant dreams!"

The Doctor stood, looking thoughtful, as Angel just returned to the right side of the fireplace as she was examining it before.

"You said this was the 51st century," Mickey looked at Angel.

"And _I_ said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the Universe," the Doctor cut in, "I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."

Angel paused and looked back at him over her shoulder with a frown, "What's that?"

"No idea," he smiled at her, winking as she nodded and turned back to the fireplace, "Just made it up. Didn't wanna say 'magic door.'"

Mickey shook his head at that. He'd almost asked what it was himself, but...he felt like it would be a stupid question. Whatever sort of hyperlink it was, he'd just thought it was something they all knew about already, something he 'should' have known and something the Doctor would just make him feel like a bit of an idiot for asking about. But he smiled too, Angel had asked. _Angel_ hadn't known and Angel was _brilliant_. The more he thought about it, the more he figured he should just ask her questions like that in the future. She had a way of explaining things and NOT making him feel stupid for having asked. And, if she didn't know, then it would be something they could learn about together.

"And on the other side of the," Rose dropped her voice, "'Magic door,'" before returning to normal, "Is France in 1727?"

The Doctor nodded, tossing his coat into the corner of the room, onto a table with bits of rubbish on it, "Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too."

"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Mickey looked at him.

Rose put an arm around Mickey's neck as the Doctor strode over to the fireplace, crouching at Angel's side, his hand on the small of her back, to see what had captured her interest so much, she'd hardly looked away from the fireplace since they'd seen it, "That's the TARDIS, translates for ya."

"Even French?!"

"Yep."

"Knew it!" Angel cried as she bumped something.

Rose and Mickey looked over just in time to see the fireplace rotate with Angel and the Doctor on it, "Doctor!" Rose shouted at the same time as Mickey called, "Angel!"

The Doctor and Angel could faintly hear their cries as the wall stopped spinning, releasing them in Reinette's bedroom at night. They looked over to see Reinette sleeping peacefully on her bed, a clock ticking in the background. The Doctor quietly made his way to the window and looked out to see Paris at night in the winter as Angel frowned, tensing a bit as she turned back to reexamine the fireplace, something about the room not sitting right with her.

A horse neighed loudly and Reinette awoke with a gasp to see two people in her room.

"It's ok!" the Doctor whispered, "Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look," he walked over to a candle and lit it with the sonic, she still looked a bit startled, "We were talking, just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace."

Reinette glanced between him and the woman at her mantel, "Monsieur, that was _weeks_ ago. That was _months_!"

"Really?" his eyebrows rose in surprise, "Oh."

"Doctor…" Angel called quietly, her gaze fixed on the clock on the mantel, the _broken_ clock…

He walked over to the fireplace, leaning over to listen to it as he knocked against it, "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."

"Who are you?" Reinette asked, watching as Angel tugged his arm and gestured to the clock, "And what are you doing here?"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open, slightly fearful, as he realized what Angel had, "Ok, _that's_ scary..."

"You're scared of a broken clock?"

"Just a bit scared, yeah," he nodded, his arm winding around Angel's waist, pulling her closer, wanting to keep her near now that he knew there was a danger there, he couldn't bear it if she was harmed, "Just a little tiny bit. 'Cos you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the _only_ clock in the room..." he trailed off, glancing at Reinette, "Then what's _that_?"

The ticking of the clock grew louder as Reinette looked around, scared, Angel quickly stepped away from the Doctor and made her way to the girl's side, sitting on the bed beside her, putting a comforting arm around her. She knew the Doctor had a soft spot for children, hardly able to stand seeing them cry. She was much the same, she just...hated to see them frightened.

Fear, she thought, was almost worse than tears.

"'Cos you see that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man."

"What is it?"

The Doctor quickly checked behind the curtains, finding nothing he turned back to the bed, "Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticks and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do: break the clock. No one notices the sound of _one_ clock ticking, but _two_? You might start to wonder if you're really alone…" he eyed the bed closely before crouching down, "Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge."

He pulled out the sonic, peering underneath the bed as Angel whispered comforts to the frightened girl, running a hand through Reinette's hair much like her own mother used to do for her whenever she had a nightmare as a child. He turned it on, only for something to lunge at him, startling him back. He gasped and scrambled to look underneath it again, only to see the feet of something standing on the other side of the bed. He slowly lifted his head, looking behind the girls. He could see in Angel's eyes and how she stiffened that she knew something was there already.

"Reinette...don't look round," he murmured.

There, behind the bed was a man dressed in French aristocratic attire and a rather disturbing porcelain mask that made it look like it was leering down at Reinette.

"You stay _exactly_ where you are," he whispered to her as he straightened.

Angel cast a glance back at the figure over Reinette's head, a frown appearing on her face as her brows furrowed. Her eyes widened a moment later when she realized what it was doing before she turned to the Doctor, "They've been scanning her!"

He blinked at that, shocked, "Hold still, let me look..." he leaned over and gently took Reinette's head in his hands, staring her in the eyes, growing more disturbed before he straightened up and glared at the figure, "What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the Universe?"

"I don't understand...it wants me?!" Reinette turned to the figure, frightened, "You want _me_?"

The figure's head titled mechanically to one side, "Not yet," it replied, "You are incomplete."

"'Incomplete?'" Angel shook her head, "How is she 'incomplete?'"

The figure just continued to stare at Reinette.

The Doctor glared at it, holding out the sonic and aiming it threateningly at the figure, "You can answer her, you can answer us. What do you mean, 'incomplete?'"

The figure didn't reply, though it _did_ take a few jerky steps around the bed, towards the Doctor. It extended an arm, a blade sliding out at the Doctor's face.

"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette shouted.

"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares," he started backing away, the figure following him as Angel stood up and cautiously moved after them. He jumped back as it swung at him before reaching the fireplace, "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?"

The figure slashed once more but Angel pulled him aside just in time for the figure's blade to hit the mantel and get stuck.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette wondered.

"Us!" the Doctor shouted, jolting the fireplace so it moved, "Ha!"

It spun around, back to the spaceship.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted.

Angel sprinted across the room and grabbed a gun-like object off the wall, just _knowing_ it would help, and turned to spray an icy substance all over the figure. It twitched, trying to get away, before it froze entirely.

"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey eyed the gun appreciatively.

"Fire extinguisher," the Doctor corrected as Angel handed the gun to Rose warily.

He stepped over to Angel and put an arm around her, knowing that she still wasn't too comfortable with how she would just react to things before she knew she was. He'd seen it in her expression just after the figure had stopped. She hadn't known what the gun would do, just that it would help, and run to get it before she even realized she was using it. It had only been an 'ice gun,' but still, he knew her mind had probably gone to what if it hadn't been? What if it had been a gun that destroyed something?

He firmly believed though that, if it _had_ been a real gun, Angel wouldn't have even 'felt' to use it. It just...wasn't HER.

"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked, eyeing the figure.

"Here," Angel replied, starting to feel better with the Doctor beside her. She just had to remind herself that, using that 'ice gun' had stopped the figure from attacking Rose and Mickey too and THAT was why she'd grabbed it. Not to harm the figure, but to stop it from harming others.

"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey frowned.

"Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol," the Doctor shrugged as he turned to eye the figure.

"See," Angel cut in, nudging him in the side, "Captain Jack was right. I should see if the TARDIS has any period clothes from France," she added thoughtfully.

He just rolled his eyes at that, but had to smile. He knew the TARDIS did and he had to admit, he was more than a little eager to see her in a dress again. She was just so lovely when she got all dressed up, not that she wasn't normally, but...seeing her in those sorts of dresses, like when they'd gone to 1879, those gowns just emphasized her natural beauty with their simplicity. Angel was not a complicated woman, something he appreciated because it made him feel like he could understand her as well as she could him. Simple things made her smile, simple things made her beautiful.

He shook his head, the faint ticking of the figure reminding him that they still had to deal with that, he could daydream about her in gowns all he liked later, but, for now, he needed to focus. Something that would be hard to do with the object of his thoughts right beside him.

He leaned forward to examine the figure once more, "Nice needlework! Shame about the face," he reached out and pulled off the wig that was also attached to the mask to reveal a glass egg for a head with a clockwork device with in, "Oh, you are beautiful!" he breathed, pulling on his glasses to look more closely, "No really, you are, you're gorgeous! Not as beautiful as my Mate though," he shot a wink at Angel, making her smile, "But still...look at that! Space age clockwork, I love it! I've got chills! Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count those, it would be a crime, it would be an act of _vandalism_ , to disassemble you," he pulled out the sonic, "But that won't stop me."

The droid sprung to life, teleporting away.

Rose and Mickey turned around, trying to spot it, as the Doctor stuffed the screwdriver back into his pocket. He ran back to the fireplace, "Short range teleport, can't have got far," he muttered before nodding Angel over as well, "Could still be onboard…"

"What is it?" Rose asked.

" _Don't_ go looking for it," Angel warned them, not sure if it was a feeling or just the fact that she KNEW how they could be, curious, but still wanting to try and stop them.

"Where're you going?"

"Back in a sec," the Doctor nudged the fireplace, swinging them around to Reinette's side once more.

Rose looked down at the fire extinguisher, weighing it in her hands.

"She said not to look for it..." Mickey told her, seeing what she was planning.

"Yeah, she did," Rose agreed, mock serious. They looked at each other a moment before Mickey smiled and grabbed another fire extinguisher off the wall, "Now you're getting it!" they both turned and jogged out of the room.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel stood by the fireplace in a rather plush bedroom, decorated in reds and golds, much different than the little girl's room they'd been in moments ago.

"Reinette..." the Doctor called, "Just checking you're ok..." he looked around the room, stepping over to a harp and running his hand down the strings. He let out a soft chuckle as he thought about how humans typically portrayed harps, in the hands of an angel. He glanced at his own Angel as she stood behind him, running her hand along the mantel of the fireplace, and smiled at her, just watching her a moment, the sunlight reflecting through the window making her glow...when a throat cleared.

They looked up to see a young woman with blonde hair, dressed in a light blue period dress, standing by the doorway.

"Oh!" the Doctor turned to her, smiling, "Hello!" he quickly pulled off his glasses, surprised.

"We were trying to find Reinette," Angel explained as she moved to the Doctor's side, the fireplace forgotten for a moment.

"Is this still her bedroom? We've been away, not sure how long."

"Reinette!" an older woman called from a distance, "We're ready to go!"

"Go to the carriage, mother," the young woman called as the Doctor and Angel smiled, "I will join you there," she walked toward them, a teasing smile on her face, "It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You two are to be congratulated on your persistence."

"Hello Reinette," Angel smiled, hugging the woman before stepping back to the Doctor's side.

"Goodness, how you've grown," the Doctor added jokingly.

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day," she eyed them, "That is tremendously impolite of you."

"Right...yes...sorry. Um...um...um...listen, lovely to catch up, but er, better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with strangers, do we?"

"Strangers? How could you be strangers to me? I have known you since I was seven years old."

"That you have," Angel laughed, "We took the quick route on accident."

Reinette reached forward and touched a lock of Angel's hair, just wanting to be sure that the hug hadn't been her rather active imagination playing tricks on her, and then placing her hand on the Doctor's cheek for a moment before pulling back though still examining them, "Well, you _seem_ to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."

"Oh, pfft...you never want to listen to reason..." the Doctor shook his head.

Angel smiled, "Especially when he's around," she nodded at the Doctor.

"Oi!" he cried, mock-offended, but just smiled at her.

"Mademoiselle!" a servant called from another room, "Your mother grows impatient."

"A moment!" Reinette called back, before looking at the rather handsome Doctor, she stepped forward...only for something to catch her eye, the Doctor was holding Angel's hand. She smiled softly at the sight, looking up at them, realizing the relationship that must be between them. They were rather comfortable with each other, standing so close, smiling so widely at each other. She was surprised she hadn't seen it as a child, she had always been rather observant. But then again, she'd only ever seen them twice, met them in person once, and it had been dark both times with a slight threat about the situation, hardly a time to notice the interactions of others.

"So many questions…" she sighed.

"So little time," Angel finished for her.

Reinette smiled at her, about to say something else when the servant shouted once more, "Mademoiselle Poisson!"

Reinette rolled her eyes before turning to grab her purse off a table and dash off moments before the servant entered the room.

"Poisson?" the Doctor mumbled, realization growing on him, "Reinette Poisson?" he looked at Angel, growing excited, "No...no, no, no, no, no way, _Reinette Poisson_?!" she eyed him curiously, "Later Madame Etoiles?" she still seemed lost as to the significance of that, "Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" he shook his head in amazement, "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantastic gardener!" he laughed.

"Who the hell are you?!" the servant demanded, seeing the two oddly dressed people in the woman's bedroom.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Angel," he grinned as he dashed back to the fireplace with her, "And we just met Madame de Pompadour!" he laughed manically as the fireplace revolved back to the ship, "Rose!"

"Mickey?" Angel looked around for her companion, only to see there was no one there and sighed, "I suppose it's official now that he's my companion?" she looked at him, "It seems like your companions never listen."

"Every time," he muttered as he stalked off, having to agree with her there, " _E_ _very_ time, it's rule one, don't wander off! I tell them," he spun around to face her, still walking back as she followed, "I do, rule one! There could be anything on this ship!"

They rounded a corner to see a white horse standing in the middle of the corridor.

The Doctor blinked as the horse whinnied.

"Aww…" Angel ran over to it, petting it as it nuzzled her neck, making her laugh, "Can we call him Arthur?"

~8~

Mickey looked furtively down a dark hall, one of the fire extinguishers in hand, before doing a forward roll, springing to his feet before looking up at a surveillance camera as it moved towards him and blinked, "Are you looking at me?" he asked.

The camera moved closer and he jumped back, seeing a _human eye_ in the lens.

"Look at this," he called to Rose as she joined him, "That's an _eye_ in there. That's a _real_ eye."

The eye moved back into the wall as the sound of a heartbeat echoed. Rose bent down to a small covering and tried to pull it away, snapping her hand back for a moment before quickly trying again. They looked in to see a human heart with wires and pipes attached to it.

"What is that?" Mickey grimaced, "What's that in the middle there? It's like it's wired in."

"That's a heart, Mickey..." she breathed, "That's a human heart."

~8~

The Doctor crossed a junction of corridors, looking completely lost, "Rose?" he called, "Mickey?" he stopped to look down a corridor before spinning to face the horse as it trotted after him, "Will you _stop_ following me? I'm not your mother!"

"Oh, but Arthur likes you," Angel said, patting the horse's neck as she walked beside it, "Quite right too Arthur," she spoke to the horse, "You have excellent taste."

The Doctor smiled softly at that, watching as the horse nuzzled its nose into Angel's palm as she pet him, he could tell, they _did_ speak Horse after all, that the horse rather liked Angel as well. But, then again, he had yet to meet someone who _didn't_ like the woman, who didn't fall in love with her in some small way. It was probably impossible not to like her, she was just so sweet and kind, he just couldn't imagine anyone hating her...well...except probably the Daleks, but they hated everyone anyway so that didn't count.

His thoughts, though, were cut off when the horse stepped forward and nosed him, but he just moved away. He glanced over to see a set of white French double doors and opened them to see a vast patch of land, "So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?"

"I told you. His name is Arthur."

He just shook his head fondly at her as they walked out onto the grassy courtyard. He nodded her over, spotting a familiar figure walking past, laughing, arm-in-arm with a friend of hers. Angel stepped beside him, leaning against a low wall and pillar to see Reinette.

"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked!" Reinette laughed.

Angel quickly pulled the Doctor down moments before Reinette looked back in their direction.

"Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death," Catherine replied.

They peeked over the wall and stood up when Reinette turned back.

"Yes," she nodded, serious, "I am... _devastated_ ," before laughing.

"Oh, indeed," Catherine agreed mockingly, "I myself am frequently _inconsolable_. The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?"

"He is the King," Reinette sighed, "And I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him."

Catherine laughed and Reinette turned back once more, _convinced_ she was being watched but seeing no one as the Doctor and Angel had ducked behind a pillar this time.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Catherine asked.

"Not _wrong_ , no," Reinette smiled softly. She linked her arm with Catherine's once more and turned to walk away, the Doctor and Angel moving around the pillar to watch them leave.

"Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions."

"Every woman in Paris shares them."

"You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?" Catherine asked before they turned a corner and their voices faded.

The Doctor smiled softly as the two women disappeared and shook his head, looking back at Angel as he took her hand, "Come on, we'd better find Rose and Mickey."

Angel nodded and they headed back inside, she couldn't help but feel a little twinge within her as she cast one more glance in the direction Reinette had gone and back at the Doctor. No, it wasn't a twinge _for_ Reinette, it was a twinge _because_ of the Doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh...what wrong with Angel? Why's she a little upset? Well, I will say that it has something to do with the bigger insecurity I mentioned would be popping up in this episode. But seriously, who loves Arthur? I know I do :) Seems like Angel finally got that pony she mentioned in Series 1 eh?


	17. The Girl in the Fireplace: An Open Door

Mickey and Rose walked slowly down the corridor, the cameras watching them, "Maybe it wasn't a real heart," Mickey suggested.

"'Course it was a real heart," Rose shook her head.

"Is this like normal for you? Is this an average day?"

"Life with the Doctor and Angel, Mickey, no more average days."

They stopped by a large window to see an ornate 18th century room beyond, "It's France again," Mickey nearly laughed, "We can see _France_."

"I think we're looking through a mirror," Rose squinted at the window, watching as a regally dressed man entered with two servants.

"Blimey, look at this guy," Mickey scoffed, "Who does he think he is?"

"King of France," the Doctor answered as he and Angel appeared behind them, Angel moving to give Mickey a little one armed hug.

She knew it could be quite a bit overwhelming travelling with the Doctor, seeing all the things out there, sometimes a hug of reassurance was all you needed, even if it hadn't hit you yet. She always listened when people talked, even if she couldn't understand them, so when she and Rose had talked about the girl's adventures with the Doctor before they'd found her in Van Statten's, she'd listened. She could remember Rose's words about how she'd felt seeing the Earth about to be destroyed, how it felt to realize she was so far in the future that her mother was dead, just the strangeness of it all. She'd been watching Rose's expressions as she recalled it, seen how it had impacted the girl, affecting her even then when she was just thinking back on it. She didn't want Mickey to feel that way, afraid, lost, devastated. No, she wanted him laughing and smiling and enjoying all the wonders of the Universe. And she knew better than anyone to never underestimate the power of a hug. She didn't know if it was just a Time Lord thing, but the Doctor's hugs always calmed her down and made her feel loads better, she could only hope her own Time Lady hug would have the same affect on Mickey.

Mickey smiled at her, winding an arm around her waist to just return the hug a moment before pulling back. She was so considerate like that, always making sure he was alright. Just before they'd landed she'd shown him around the main console room and showed him the controls incase they ever needed help piloting, which, given how often the Doctor seemed to nearly crash the TARDIS might not be all that far away. It made him feel really happy that she trusted him and believed he could help pilot if the time came. It really made him feel like a part of the team.

And she was so great at explaining it too! The last time he'd asked the Doctor about something in the TARDIS he'd just given him a short answer, made him feel like an idiot, and then proceeded to explain it too fast for him to keep up. He probably made up a few words to throw him off even more. He wouldn't put it past the last Doctor to do that. Not Angel though. She'd taken him, by the hand, and physically showed him what certain buttons did and how certain knobs ought not to be turned, what pulling one lever could do over another. She hadn't let him move on from one till he understood it and remembered it. She had this way of just making everything simple for him.

Well...not at first.

Sometimes she'd go off on tangents, much like the Doctor, using complicated words that he didn't understand but, unlike the Doctor, she didn't stare at him as though he'd just dribbled on his shirt. No, instead, she'd smile bashfully and remark that she'd gotten ahead of herself, before backtracking to try and explain it in a way he could follow, now conscious that she had been rambling. She took his feelings into consideration, never making him feel like an idiot because he couldn't keep up, but realizing she might be contributing to his confusion. And she never got upset or frustrated with him when he didn't get it right away. She'd just smile and go over it again, as many times as he needed, answering any question he asked.

He really appreciated that because, once he could keep up and understand it right from the start, he was more eager to learn, able to really get into it, more sure of himself when he answered her back on reviewing a button or two.

It was nice.

"Oh, here's trouble," Rose smirked, "What you two been up to?"

"Oh, this and that," the Doctor waved her off, subtly reaching out to pull Angel away from Mickey, wrapping his own arm around her waist with a smile, he loved this, having her in his arms, nothing felt more... _right_.

"We became the imaginary friends of a future French aristocrat apparently," Angel supplied.

Rose frowned as she glanced at Angel, there was something in her tone that she hadn't really heard much from the girl. It was almost...sad? No...resentful? No, not that either. Tense? Yes, that was it. It was almost like she was unhappy with that fact but...not really unhappy that they _were_ friends with some one just...unhappy with _who_ that someone was? Perhaps? She looked at Angel closely, really wanting to know what exactly was bothering her. Much like the Doctor, she didn't like seeing the woman upset either and she still felt ill thinking of the time she herself had caused the girl hurt.

"Picked a fight with a clockwork man..." the Doctor added.

"Oh, and we met a horse," Angel smiled now as Arthur trotted into view.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked, eyeing the white animal.

"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship?" the Doctor countered, "Get a little perspective."

"Oi!" Angel nudged him, "It's a valid question!"

Mickey beamed at being defended. He'd actually been a bit worried about that. He knew the Doctor liked poking fun at him, the old him even more so, and he was a little concerned at what Angel would do. Now that he was her companion, he honestly wasn't quite sure what to expect. But he had to shake his head at himself, she had often defended him from the Doctor's little digs when they'd just been friends, now that he was her companion she was even _more_ protective of him. And he'd been worried that she would _stop_? NOW he felt a bit like an idiot, if anything, he should have expected that she'd defend him more. Because now he wasn't JUST her friend, he was something a bit more.

The Doctor just sent her a fond smile as they looked through the window, "See these?" he continued, "They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history..." he touched the glass as Reinette entered, "Hers _._ Time window...deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the 51st century stalking a woman from the 18th. _Why?_ "

"Who is she?" Rose squinted, having seen Angel's dim reflection in the window sadden just a mite, _now_ she knew who that someone was.

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived."

"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?"

"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress."

"Oh, I get it," Rose smirked at Mickey, "Camilla."

"I think this is the night they met," the Doctor added, watching as the King left, "The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace...even her own title, Madame de Pompadour."

"Queen must have _loved_ her..." Rose remarked as they watched Reinette fix herself up in the mirror, not realizing they could see her.

"Oh, she did. They get on very well."

"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey scoffed.

"France. It's a different planet."

"Doctor…" Angel called softly. He looked at her to see her staring, concerned, at something in the room. He followed her gaze to see a figure standing in the background, the clock on the mantel broken, the ticking noise still there.

"How long have you been standing there?" Reinette spun around to look at the figure, having noticed as well, "Show yourself!"

The figure turned around, one of the clockwork droids!

The Doctor grabbed Mickey's extinguisher as Angel swung the mirror around to enter the room as it advanced, "Hello, Reinette!" he called, "Hasn't time flown?"

"Fireplace man!" Reinette gasped as he stepped past her and sprayed the droid with the ice, Angel placing an arm around the startled woman, the little girl from barely an hour ago. The Doctor tossed the extinguisher back to Mickey as the droid tried to move.

"What's it doing?" Mickey eyed it cautiously.

"Switching back on," the Doctor replied, "Melting the ice."

"And then what?"

"Then it kills everyone in the room," he added. The droid's arm suddenly shot out towards the Doctor's throat. He jumped back and stood beside Angel, "Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" he smiled at Angel before turning back to the droid, "Who are you? Identify yourself."

The droid cocked its head but made no reply.

"Order it to answer him," Angel said quietly to Reinette.

"Why should it listen to me?" she looked at Angel, alarmed.

"I don't know," Angel shook her head, "But it will."

Reinette hesitated a moment before turning to the droid, "Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you."

The droid let its arm fall to its side, "I am repair droid seven."

"So what happened to the ship then?" the Doctor asked, "There was a lot of damage."

"Ion storm. 82 percent systems failure."

"That ship hasn't moved in over a _year_. What's taken you so long?"

"We did not have the parts."

Mickey laughed, "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts."

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" the Doctor shook his head.

"We did not have the parts," it repeated.

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?"

"We did not have the parts."

"Fifty people don't just disappear!"

"There are cowboys _in_ the walls," Angel breathed, blinking, feeling a bit ill at the thought.

"Oh…" the Doctor trailed, "You didn't have the _parts_ , so you used the _crew_."

"The crew?" Mickey shook his head.

"We found a camera with an eye in it..." Rose murmured, "And there was a heart...wired in to machinery."

"It was just what it was programmed to," the Doctor replied grimly, "Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?"

"Someone cooking..." Rose said quietly.

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque. But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come here, you could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to 18th century France? Why?"

"One more part is required," it said, its head jerking towards Reinette as they looked at her.

"Then why haven't you taken it?"

"She is incomplete."

"What...so, that's the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's 'done yet?'"

"Why her?" Rose asked as they looked at her, surprised at the question, "You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?"

It wasn't just curiousity either. She realized now why Angel had seemed tense before. Reinette was in danger, the Doctor loved saving people, mostly women, from danger, and women...often tried to show their gratitude. She remembered a few lessons on Madame de Pompadour now, she was an incredible woman and, as the Doctor said, very accomplished, and Angel...she already knew the girl had trouble seeing how brilliant she was. Honestly, the girl knew more about time and space than anyone she'd ever met, half the time it was like she knew more than the Doctor himself. And the way she was with the TARDIS, so tuned to the old box, she knew it inside and out and how it worked and how it did what it did. Understanding the mechanics of space and time travel couldn't be simple. Angel was just brilliant, Angel was her friend, and now, Angel felt threatened by Reinette but...bless her...was still trying to protect and help the woman as well.

"We are the same," it said.

"We are not the same, we are in no sense the same!" Reinette exclaimed.

"We are the same."

"Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!"

"Reinette, no," Angel said, but it was too late, the droid disappeared, "It's back on the ship."

"Rose," the Doctor turned to Rose, "Take Mickey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, _don't_ approach it, just watch what it does."

"Arthur?" Rose looked at him, confused.

"Good name for a horse."

"I told you!" Angel cheered.

"No, you're not keeping the horse," Rose rolled her eyes at them.

"I let you keep Mickey," he argued.

"No, you let _me_ keep Mickey," Angel corrected, "MY companion."

Mickey nearly laughed at the slight possessive tone to Angel's words. She really seemed to like pointing out and reminding the Doctor that _she_ had a companion now as well. It made him feel included, important enough that she wanted people to remember him as that, that she considered him important enough to _be_ remembered. He really liked that feeling, being wanted, not in _that_ way, but just for companionship. He had to admit, though he probably wouldn't say it out loud around Rose, given how sensitive she was to other people around the Time Lords, but he liked thinking of Angel as HIS pilot, not Rose's. The Doctor could be whoever's pilot he wanted, but Angel was _his_.

"Look we don't have time for this, just go, go, go!" he shouted. Mickey and Rose ran back through the mirror as the Doctor shut it behind them.

"I'll go keep watch," Angel called, dashing off down the hall to stand, peeking out of the double doors. If Reinette was destined to be mistress to the King, it wouldn't do for him to walk in and see her standing with the Doctor. And, she supposed, keeping a watch out for the King would also let her 'keep a watch' on the Doctor and Reinette as well.

The Doctor opened his mouth to argue, but Angel had already run off. He didn't like it when she did that, when she wasn't with him. He'd been hoping she'd be able to help him keep Reinette calm for what he was about to do, he'd noticed she had a remarkable affect on others, for all her lack of understanding humans, she was exceptional at knowing when they were upset and needed comfort, brilliant at giving it. But that was just her in a nutshell, she always made him feel happy, comforted, he...he even found himself _not_ thinking of the War and what he'd done when she was around. It was truly as though he simply forgot all his problems, all his demons, when she was near. She just...made him _so_ happy, all the time, that it was actually _hard_ to think of things that upset him.

He sighed, shaking his head, and turned to Reinette, "Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for, there's only one way I can do that. Won't hurt a bit."

She nodded and the Doctor placed his fingers on her temples, closing his eyes as she closed her own, "Fireplace man..." she breathed after a moment, "You are inside my mind."

"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here."

~8~

Mickey and Rose walked cautiously through the corridors, Mickey laughing, "So, that Doctor, eh?"

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked.

"Well, Madame de Pompadour. Sarah Jane Smith. Cleopatra."

"Cleopatra, he mentioned her ONCE!"

"Yeah, but he called her 'Cleo.'"

Rose rolled her eyes, "I've told you like a thousand times, I'm _not_ interested in the Doctor!" he gave her a look, "Alright, _once_ I was, for a _second_ …but…Mickey you haven't _seen_ it, seen him and Angel together…he loves HER."

He nodded at that, he actually _had_ seen it as well, probably not as often or as blatantly as Rose had, but he _did_ see the little glances the couple would send each other…the look in the Doctor's eyes whenever he would look at Angel, thinking no one was looking. He could understand it, it was so easy to love Angel, even he did, in a way, more of a fond friendly way than anything. She took an _interest_ in him, she _talked_ with him, _explained_ things to him, let him join in on the fun, she really just seemed to want him to have the best time. And he was, though he was starting to think it was more the company than the adventures. He'd actually agreed to come on the adventures because _Angel_ had asked him to, no one had really _wanted_ him to go, certainly not Rose if her less than pleased reaction was anything to go by. But Angel…SHE wanted him there, SHE wanted him, just him, plain old Mickey Smith, to come, so…he came…

"Mickey!" Rose shouted, cutting him out of his thoughts. He spun around, only to be caught in the neck by a droid, another grabbing Rose as well. They extended a needle from their arms, sticking the humans until they collapsed, unconscious.

~8~

"You are in my memories," Reinette gasped, "You walk among them."

"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it," he told her, "I won't look. Ooh…actually...there's a door just there," Reinette opened her eyes to grin at him slyly, "You might want to clo…ooh, actually, several."

She closed her eyes once more, smiling softly at the wonder of what was happening, "To walk among the memories of another living soul...do you ever get used to this?"

"I don't make a habit of it."

"How can you resist?" she laughed a bit.

He paused, his brow furrowing, "What age are you?"

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising."

"No, not _my_ question, _theirs_. You're 23 and for some reason, that means you're not old enough," she flinched, "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect."

"Oh, such a lonely childhood..." she whispered, her heart breaking, feeling a crushing sense of lonliness bearing down on her.

"It'll pass. Stay with me."

"Oh, Doctor," she frowned, "So lonely. So very, very alone."

She felt like she was _drowning_ in the darkness, the cold, the guilt, but...then...there was this...light...this warm golden light that was growing bigger and bigger...

"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life…" he opened his eyes quickly, "When did you start calling me 'Doctor?'"

"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely and lonelier...but...not anymore," she opened her eyes, unable to keep them closed as the golden light nearly blinded her behind her lids, "You have an angel watching over you."

"How did you do that?" he stepped back from her.

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction..." she explained as though it were obvious, he just stared at her, alarmed, "Oh, Doctor," she stepped towards him, "Dance with me."

"I can't," he replied warningly.

"Can't or won't?" she teased, knowing exactly who that golden light she'd seen represented.

"This is the night you dance with the King."

"What if I should make him jealous first?"

He looked down, answering her first question, "I won't."

She smiled at him, understanding, "The Doctor and his Angel..." she murmured, "But who are you? It's more than just a secret, isn't it?"

"What did you see?"

"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance."

"I _do_ know how to dance," he admitted, knowing the conversation was not about _dancing_ anymore but something infinitely more personal and serious.

"And yet you will not ask her to join you in one," she glanced back at Angel.

"She doesn't know how," he whispered, "She's never danced before."

"Then you must teach her."

He looked at Reinette, such concern in his eyes, "And what if I step on her toes?"

She eyed him a moment, understanding his veiled words, "You fear hurting her," she stated, before taking his hand, "Then you must prove your care for her, prove your love. Teach her the steps one at a time till you are both ready. For when you are…" she smirked at him, seeing a red blush on his cheeks from what she was saying, "It will be magical," she laughed, "Now, come, I must ready _both_ of you for the ball," she pulled him down the hall towards Angel, taking the woman's hand as well and leading her, confused, away.

~8~

Rose blinked blearily as she awoke to see she was strapped to a table, the droids looming over her, "What's going on?" she looked around, "Doctor? Angel!"

"Rose?" Mickey called from a table beside her, "They're gonna chop us up. Just like the crew, they're gonna chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship. And where's the Doctor? Where's Angel? They've been gone for flipping hours!"

"You are compatible," a droid stepped towards Rose.

"Well...you...you might wanna think about that," Rose stammered, "You really, _really_ might because...me and Mickey...we didn't come here alone, oh no! And trust me, you wouldn't wanna mess with our designated drivers," the droid just thrust out a sharp cutting device, "Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them? Well one of our friends turned them to stone. And our other friend well, they had a name for him. They had myths about him, and a name. They called him the..."

There was a loud bang in another room, "I could've danced all night, I could've danced _all_ night..." the Doctor's drunken singing echoed to them.

"They called him the…they called him the…the…" Rose muttered, looking in the direction of the singing distractedly.

The Doctor staggered into the room, dancing with Angel, who was dressed in an 18th century yellow French dress with golden leaves embroidered on it and artificial hips, her hair haning but pulled back by a headband. The Doctor, however, was wearing his typical attire, but with a pair of sunglasses on and his tie around his head.

"And still have begged for moooore..." he sang, "I could've spread my wings and done a thou…" he suddenly turned to them, "Have you _met_ the French?" Mickey looked at the pair, confused, "My...GOD, they know how to party."

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in," Rose rolled her eyes, "The Oncoming Storm."

"Oh, you sound just like your mother."

"What've you been doing?! Where've you been?!"

"Well...among other things, I think I just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a _banana_ before!" he stepped away from Angel to lean over towards Rose, "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are GOOD," he looked up, spotting the droids, "Oh ho ho ho ho, brilliant. It's you! You're my favorite, you are, you are the best! Do you know why? 'Cos you're so THICK!"

Mickey looked over at Angel, only to see her inching her way back towards a control panel.

"You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania…and so's your dad!" he strolled away, "Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" he sniggered, "Her milometer. They wanna know how _old_ she is. Know why? 'Cos this ship is 37 years old. And they think that when _Reinette_ is 37, when she's 'complete,' then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it?" he stared at one of the droids mockingly, "Hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do."

"The brain is compatible," it stated.

"Compatible?" the Doctor walked towards it, "If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine," he pulled the droid's wig off and dumped the liquid from the cup in his hand into the clockwork head, replacing the wig and patting it just as it wound down, "Multigrain anti-oil," he explained, completely sober, "If it moves, it doesn't," the droids around the room began to advance when Angel pulled the lever, deactivating them, "Brilliant!" the Doctor called to her with a wink before turning to Rose and Mickey, "Right, you two, that's enough lying about..." he flashed the sonic on their restraints, releasing them, "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."

"Are those things safe?" Mickey eyed the droids.

"They're fine Mickey," Angel moved to his side, checking where the restraints had held him down to make sure he wasn't hurt. She smiled up at him, seeing he was alright, "Besides, I won't let anything hurt you."

He smiled softly at that, touched, sensing more to it than just that, it was like she really _did_ promise not to let _anything_ hurt him and wasn't just saying it to make him feel better, "I know," he nodded, "Feeling's mutual by the way."

"As it should be," she nodded.

The Doctor smiled a bit at that, he could tell Mickey meant it as well, something he appreciated, knowing that she would be safe even if he wasn't there...which would _never_ happen. He wasn't about to go _anywhere_ without her, "Safe," he agreed, pulling his tie down and pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, "Safe and thick. Way I like them. Ok, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down," he patted his pockets, "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs?"

"You used them as castanets," Angel called, turning around to face him, "Remember?" she laughed lightly and walked over to him, reaching out to straighten his tie which was all skewed.

He beamed at that, leaning down to kiss her quickly in thanks. Kissing her once more before he pulled away. God, he _loved_ doing that, being able to do that, knowing he would be the ONLY one to do that.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was 37?" Rose asked.

"These circuits are too damaged," Angel remarked, even _she_ could see that. She'd seen the TARDIS after the Doctor flew her solo, it was _never_ very pretty. The wires and circuits around the ship were in even worse condition than that, and that was _really_ saying something in terms of damage, "It takes enormous power and precision to open a time window on a good day. In this condition," she shook her head, "I'm honestly surprised they got the right century."

The Doctor smiled at that, she really was brilliant. To her, he knew, she was thinking about the ship in terms of the TARDIS. If the TARDIS was ever damaged this badly, she knew exactly what it would or wouldn't be able to do so she could guess at how much trouble this ship would be having, "Trial and error after that," he nodded, moving to try and operate the computer but it wouldn't work, "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" he looked at Angel.

"You can't close a door if there's a foot in the way?" she shrugged, just before an ominous ping resounded.

"What's that?" Rose frowned at the computer.

"I don't know..." the Doctor murmured, "Incoming message?"

"From who?" Mickey asked.

"Report from the field..." he read, "One of them must still be out there with Reinette! _That's_ why I can't close the windows, there's an override! A foot in the doorway!"

Behind him one of the clockwork droids sprang to life with a whirr. Rose gasped as the droid squirted out the wine onto the Doctor's shoes.

"Well, that was a bit clever," he muttered as the rest of the droids started to spring back to life, "Right...many things about this are not good…" the ping rang out again, "Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?"

"She is complete," a droid stated, "It begins."

"What's happening?" Rose looked around as the droids teleported out.

"One of them must've found the right time window, and now it's time to send in the troops," the Doctor remarked, "And this time they're bringing back her head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a bit more of a hint at Angel's fear? Rose spotted it, did you? :) And awww, love Mickey.
> 
> Next chapter we'll finally see what the Mating process is all about and we'll find out some reasons why it didn't actually officially start when the Doctor asked her. As mentioned, it's a process, yet we haven't seen much happening in relation to it. All will be explained next chapter :) Along with comforting Doctor and fearful Angel :)


	18. The Girl in the Fireplace: A Fixed Fireplace

Reinette stood by the window of her new quarters, looking up at the sky, when she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly checked the clock face, whole and working, only to see a woman's figure reflected in the glass, "Madame de Pompadour…" Rose called as the woman gasped, "Please, don't scream or anything, we haven't got a lot of time," Reinette quickly made her way over to Rose, recognizing her from the last time she'd seen the Doctor and Angel, "I've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years."

"Five years?" she frowned.

"Some time after your 37th birthday," she nodded, taking a seat, "I um...I can't give you an _exact_ date. It's a bit random. But they're coming. It's gonna happen. In a way, for us, it's _already_ happening. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain. The Doctor does this better."

"Then be exact, and I will be attentive."

"There isn't time."

"There are _five_ years."

"For _you_. I haven't got five minutes."

"Then also be concise," Reinette took a seat opposite Rose, ready to listen.

"Er...there's a, um...a...a...a vessel," Rose struggled to explain, "A ship. A sort of sky ship. And it's full of...well, you. Different bits of your life in different rooms, all jumbled up," she shook her head apologetically, "I told you it was complicated, sorry."

"There is a vessel in your world...where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that they may step from one to the other without increase of age while I, weary traveler, must always take the slower path?"

Rose smiled, "They were right about you..."

"So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?"

"The Doctor says keep them talking. Angel thinks they're programmed to respond to you. You won't be able to _stop_ them, but you might be able to _delay_ them a bit."

"Until?"

"Until the Doctor and Angel can get there."

"They're coming, then?" Reinette breathed a sigh of relief.

"They promise."

"But they cannot...make their promises in person?"

"They'll be there when you need 'em. That's the way it's gotta be."

"It's the way it's _always_ been," she sighed, "The monsters, the Doctor, and the Angel. It seems you cannot have one without the others."

"Tell me about it," Rose laughed slightly, "The thing is...you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. _None_ of this was ever supposed to happen to you."

" _Supposed_ to happen?" Reinette snapped angrily, "What does that _mean_? It _happened_ , child. And I would _not_ have it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel, and I have _two_ ," she stood and turned to face the fireplace.

"Rose!?" Mickey called from another room, "Rose!" he pushed his way past a tapestry, "Rose!" Rose ran over, "The time window when she's 37. Angel found it. Right under our noses," he stopped and looked at Reinette who walked quickly towards the tapestry, wanting to see behind it.

"No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad…" Rose tried to stop her but Reinette had already walked through to the ship.

"Hello Reinette," Rose heard Angel greet. She stepped past the tapestry to see the Time Lady standing there with Mickey, having led him there so the boy wouldn't get lost on the way back, not about to abandon her companion.

Reinette looked around lost, confused, scared, as Rose and Mickey watched her, "So, this is their world…" she breathed before turning to Angel, " _Your_ world?" but before Angel could respond the sound of screaming echoed to them, "What was that?"

"It's alright," Angel stepped up, putting an arm around the woman's shoulder in comfort.

"The time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link," Mickey explained.

"Those screams..." Reinette swallowed hard, turning to Angel desperately, "Is _that_ my future?"

"Yes," the woman replied sympathetically, "I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry."

Reinette nodded, taking Angel's hand and squeezing it, "Then I _must_ take the slower path."

"Are you there?" Reinette heard herself shouting from down the hall, "Can you hear me? I need you now, you _promised_. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time."

"That's my voice," Reinette breathed, Angel could only squeeze her hand back

"Come on, we've gotta go," Mickey said softly, "There's...there's that problem..."

Angel nodded and stepped back from Reinette to Mickey's side. Rose just moved over to Reinette, "Give me a moment?"

Mickey nodded and they turned to rush off but Angel paused and turned back, "Reinette, keep back from the mirror."

Reinette nodded, confused by the words, but feeling they should become clear in time.

"Are you ok?" Rose asked Reinette gently as Angel and Mickey left.

"No," she replied, "I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Rose? The Doctor and Angel are worth the monsters."

Rose nodded, "A thousand times over."

Reinette offered a small smile before she walked back to the tapestry, ignoring her calls for the Doctor and Angel in the future.

~8~

"Doctor!" Reinette yelled into the fireplace, years later, "Angel!"

"We must _go_!" the King shouted, " _No one_ is coming to help us."

One of the droids appeared in the doorway as Reinette turned. She gasped at the sight, recalling her nightmares as a child as two more droids flanked it.

"You are complete," the droid said, "You will come."

~8~

The Doctor was working frantically at the controls when Rose joined them, Mickey standing by the time window, Angel fixing some wires by the doorway, "You found it, then?" Rose asked Angel.

"They knew we were coming," Angel replied, "Blocked it all off."

~8~

One of the droids pulled Reinette along by the arm, "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"The teleport has limited range," it stated, "We must have proximity to the time portal."

"Your words mean nothing. _You_ are nothing."

The droid just turned the corner, two others holding the King back as well.

~8~

"I don't get it," Rose joined Mickey by the window, "How come they got in there?"

"They teleported," the Doctor said, still working, "You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick."

"Well, we'll go in the TARDIS!"

"We can't," Angel cut in, "We're part of events now."

"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey suggested.

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other," the Doctor shook his head, "We need a truck."

"We don't have a truck."

"I _know_ we don't have a truck!"

"Oi!" Angel glared lightly at him, "No yelling at my companion!" she understood he was concerned and stressed, but that was no reason to shout at Mickey.

"Well, we've gotta try something!" Rose exclaimed.

"No, smash the glass, smash the time window, they'd be no way back," the Doctor said.

"I don't know," Angel replied and the Doctor looked at her, "Reinette's clever, she opened one door, perhaps she can open another…"

The Doctor watched her closely as she suddenly stood up and dashed into the hall, a moment later a whinny was heard as Arthur trotted back into the room, Angel leading him along.

~8~

"Can everyone just calm down?" Reinette shouted to the scared men and women gathered in the ballroom, "Please. Such a _commotion_. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And _we_ are _French_ ," she turned to the droids, "I have made a decision. And my decision is 'no,' I shall _not_ be going with you today. I have seen your world, and I have _no_ desire to set foot there again."

"We do not require your _feet_ ," it replied.

Two droids came up on either side of her, pushing her down to a kneel, pointing their cutting devices at her neck as the first droid approached her, extending its device as well.

"You think I _fear_ you," she glared at it, remaining as brave as she could, hoping to do as Angel and the Doctor had asked, delay them, "But I do _not_ fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if _my_ nightmare can return to plague _me,_ then rest assured…" she lowered her voice threateningly, "So will _yours_!"

The sound of a horse whinnying echoed and Reinette looked towards the large mirror on the back wall just before it shattered, the Doctor and Angel riding through it on a white horse. The guests shrieked as Reinette's mouth dropped open.

"Hello Reinette," Angel greeted as the Doctor hopped off the horse and helped her down.

"You look younger every day," he commented.

"What the hell is going on?" the King shouted.

"Oh, this is my lover, the King of France," Reinette introduced.

"Yeah?" the Doctor looked over a bit disdainfully as the King glanced past him to look at Angel, still in her period outfit. He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, "Well, we're the Lord and Lady of Time," he led her over to a droid, "And we're here to fix the clock," he pulled the wig and mask off the droid, revealing its clockwork head before it pointed a weapon at him, "Forget it. It's over. For you and for us," he glanced up at the broken mirror to see a brick wall behind it, "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try _3,000_..."

~8~

Rose stared down at the broken shards of glass where the window to the ballroom once stood.

"What happened?" Mickey frowned, "Where did the time window go? How're they gonna get back?"

Rose just shook her head, she didn't know…but she had to have faith…just before Arthur had galloped towards the window, Angel had called to them to give it five and a half hours...

~8~

The droid repeatedly tapped its wrist, trying to teleport but failed.

"The link's broken," Angel explained, "There's no way back to the ship now."

"You don't have the parts," the Doctor agreed, "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. Neither of us are winding you up."

The clockwork slowly wound down, the droid going dead before the other droids followed suit, slumping forward. One fell backwards, smashing its head on the ground as the guests whispered.

"You alright Reinette?" Angel asked as she and the Doctor helped the woman to her feet.

She nodded, "What's happened to them?"

"They've stopped," the Doctor said, "They have no purpose now."

~8~

"We can't fly the TARDIS without them," Mickey continued, his heart racing at what this might mean for his pilot, "How're they gonna get back?"

Rose looked up at the stars for a moment before closing her eyes, she had to pray that Angel was right…

~8~

The Doctor and Angel were standing by a window in Reinette's quarters, the Doctor holding a glass of wine, both looking up at the stars when Reinette joined them, "You know all their names, don't you?" she asked, eyeing them, "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."

"What's in a name?" the Doctor shrugged, "Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything."

"Like, 'The Doctor,'" she smirked, "Or 'The Angel.'"

"Like, 'Madame de Pompadour,'" Angel retorted lightly, nudging her.

Reinette laughed, "I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think."

"From time to time," he replied.

"In saving me, you trapped yourselves," she frowned, looking more at Angel than the Doctor, "Did you know that would happen?"

"I had a feeling," Angel admitted.

"I saw that as well. The future burning around you…you knew yet, still...you came."

"Yeah, we did, didn't we?" the Doctor smiled, "Catch me doing that again."

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?"

"When the mirror broke, the shock will have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid. Wherever there was a time window. I'll…I'll, er...pay for any damage. Um...oh," he blinked, "That's a thought, I'm gonna need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?"

"So, here you are," Reinette smiled at them, "My lonely Doctor and his glowing Angel. Stuck on the slow path, with me."

"Yep," he grinned, holding out his glass, "The slow path. Here's to the slow path."

Reinette clinked her glass with his, "It's a pity...I think I would've enjoyed the slow path."

"Well, we're not going anywhere."

"Oh, aren't you?" she raised an eyebrow, "Come…" she placed her glass down and led them out of the room, to her chambers, where she gestured at the fireplace, "It's not a copy. It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail."

"The fireplace…" the Doctor remarked as he and Angel walked towards it, "The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?"

"Many years ago," she sighed, "In the hope that a door once opened, may someday be opened again," the Doctor paused and looked at Angel curiously, "One never quite knows when one needs one's doctor or one's angel. It appears undamaged, do you think it will still work?"

"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it," the Doctor blinked, Angel's words making sense, "Which means it was off-line when the mirror broke. _That's_ what saved it. But..." he moved closer to the fireplace, "The link is basically physical, and it's still _physically_ here…" Reinette slowly approached them, watching as the Doctor worked, tapping the woodwork and listening to it, "Which might just mean, if I'm lucky...if we're very, very, very, very, very, _very_ lucky..." he beamed, "Ah ha!"

"What?"

"Loose connection!" he pulled out the sonic and flashed it, "Need to get a man in!" he hit the mantel, "Wish us luck!"

"Good luck," she whispered as the fireplace turned, bringing them back to the ship.

They turned and crouched down by the fire, looking through the flames, "Madame de Pompadour!" the Doctor shouted, watching as she crouched down on the other side, "Still wanna see those stars?"

"More than anything."

"Give us two minutes. Pack a bag!"

"Am I going somewhere?"

"Go to the window. Pick a star. Any star," he stood and dashed off to the TARDIS, Reinette smiling as she looked back through the flames, only to see the sad look on Angel's face before the woman made to follow him.

Her smile fell.

No, no, she would _not_ be going anywhere…

~8~

"How long did you wait?" the Doctor asked as he hugged Rose, Mickey and Angel hugging as well.

"Five and a half hours!" Rose laughed.

"Right, always wait five and a half hours!"

"I _told_ you," Angel turned to hug the young woman as well, the Doctor making to hug Mickey but deciding to just shake his hand.

"You were right," Rose nodded, "Never doubted you. But where've you _been_?!"

"Explain later," the Doctor waved her off, "Into the TARDIS, be with you in a sec," he rushed over to the fireplace, Angel casting a sad, knowing look after him before joining, Rose and Mickey glancing at each other, having seen that look and knowing what it meant, this wouldn't end well.

"Reinette?" the Doctor called, peering through the fireplace, "You there, Reinette?"

Angel just walked to the side, triggering the fireplace to revolve back to Reinette's bedroom, now dark.

He paused, looking around, before taking Angel's hand and wandering through the halls, "Reinette?" he called, only to see the King standing by a window, "Oh. Hello."

"You just missed her," he replied, "She'll be in Paris by six."

"Ah," the Doctor nodded.

The King turned to stare at them, taking a few steps forward in shock, "Good Lord...she was _right_. She said you never looked a day older…so many years since I saw you last, yet not a _day_ of it on your faces..."

The Doctor tensed as the King examined Angel a bit longer than himself.

A moment later the King shook his head and walked over to a side board, taking out a letter, "She spoke of you many times."

Angel reached out and took the Doctor's hand as he realized what had happened, why the man kept talking about Reinette in the _past_ tense.

"Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are," he held out a letter to the Doctor who took it, looking down at it addressed to him and Angel.

There was a whip in the distance and the King returned to the window, "There she goes," he frowned, watching the coffin drive off, "Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only 43 when she died."

The Doctor and Angel walked up behind him, solemnly watching.

"Too young...too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard," he looked back at the Doctor, "What does she say?"

The Doctor just put the letter in his pocket.

"Of course. Quite right," he turned back to the window, the Doctor and Angel walking away a few moments later.

~8~

The Doctor closed the door to the TARDIS and walked up to the console, clutching Angel's hand in his own.

"Why her?" Rose asked as she and Mickey stood by the console, "Why did they think they could fix the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

"We'll probably never know," the Doctor shrugged, "There was massive damage in the computer memory base. Probably got confused."

Angel walked past him to the controls, "The TARDIS'll close the time windows with the droids gone. Keep the ship from making any more disturbances in time."

The Doctor stopped beside her, leaning on the console sadly.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked after a moment of watching the two Time Lords.

"I'm always alright," the Doctor looked up, smiling briefly, as Angel just nodded and continued on the controls.

"Come on, Rose," Mickey tugged her arm, sensing the Time Lords needed a moment, "It's time you showed me around the rest of this place."

Rose hesitated a moment, not wanting to leave the two in pain, but they had each other, and this was something they needed to do together. She nodded, turning to walk off.

The Doctor glanced up once they were gone, making sure it was just him and Angel before pulling out the letter. Angel walked over and stood beside him, tucking her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder to look at it as well:

_My Dear Doctor, My Guardian Angel,_

_The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again. But I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, Doctor, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my loves. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak. God speed, my angels._

The Doctor tucked the letter back into his coat and turned back to the console. He looked up to see that the fireplace was on the monitor. Angel took his hand, squeezing it as he reached up and pushed a few keys, the picture going out, the time windows closing.

~8~

The Doctor casually tossed his jacket over the gantry's edge, he'd come down, having realized Angel hadn't left the console room to sleep, and wanted to check on her. She was standing there, seemingly working on the console, though she was barely moving. He reached into his inner suit pocket, feeling Reinette's letter, and pulled it out. He was going to head down and put it in his collection of items from his trips when something caught his eye, there was a small bit of parchment folded and stuck to the back of the letter, held at the end of the wax on the back. He frowned, having not noticed it before and pulled it out to see another small letter from the woman.

_My Doctor,_

_I have seen many things through your eyes, in your mind, but nothing burns more brightly in you than the love you have for your Angel. And I can tell she loves you as well. There was a moment within your memories when you both spoke of your love for each other, but through another. Reason tells me, you have not yet told her of your affections clearly and in your own person. Please do, for you fear hurting her, and you will if you do not tell her soon._

He looked up, startled at her insight, recalling when Cassandra had let it slip that they loved each other…perhaps _that_ was what she meant. He nodded to himself, he would tell Angel soon… _now_ …yes…he looked down to see Angel still at the console, just absently flicking a button here or there, a small solder in her other hand, long since cool. He frowned, he'd been watching her the past few minutes and she hadn't seemed to notice…something _had_ to be bothering her, she was always aware of him. He slowly made his way down the steps and over to her, taking the solder out of her hand, seeming to snap her out of her thoughts.

"Oh!" she blinked and turned to him, "Sorry, must've gotten distracted."

He looked at her closely, his brows furrowed, "What's wrong?"

She peered at him a moment as if debating whether or not to lie and say she was fine or tell him the truth. She sighed, she'd never been very good at lying, and turned back to look at the console, "Did you only ask me to be your Mate because you wanted to strengthen the TARDIS?"

"What?" he gaped at her, "No, of course not."

She turned to him, "Then was it because I'm the only Time Lady left?"

"No!" he exclaimed, looking at her, shocked and slightly hurt, "Where's all this coming from?"

"I just…" she shook her head and looked away from him, moving back to flick some more buttons, "I'm not an actress, or an artist, or a musician, or a dancer, or a gardener, I'm not as smart as other Time Lords, not as clever, and I _know_ I'm awkward around humans, and that I talk nonsense half the time, there's nothing _remotely_ special about me…" she looked up at him suddenly, tears in her eyes, "So why did you pick _me_?"

He blinked, hearing his own words about Reinette reflected back at him. He hadn't even considered what his praises of another woman might do to her. He stepped towards her and took her hands in his own, "I think we should start working on establishing a mental bond."

The mental bond was the first step in truly Mating. It was a three step process that was meant to build up and strengthen the connection between Mates. First there was the mental bond. Their people were largely telepathic in nature, to a point. They could always feel the presence of their people around them, in their minds, a faint buzzing, read each others thoughts if they desperately had to. However, a mental bond _solely_ between two Time Lords was unique, it meant that you trusted your Mate with what you knew and what you thought, giving them access to your mind.

Next there was the creation of an emotional connection. This was what would allow Mates to feel the other's emotions, feel what they felt, feel if they were in any danger or pain. It was harder to establish than a mental bond, Time Lord minds being more logical and often organized, while emotions could be turbulent and extreme and shifting. There were so many to sort through that it could take _years_ to actually fully form one. But it was so worth it in the end, to be able to feel the warmth of your Mate's happiness, know when your Mate needed comfort, just understanding them in a new way, on a new level.

Finally there was the physical aspect of the Mating. Well...nothing more really had to be said about that. The point when two Mates joined together so completely and openly that their souls touched and merged together forever...it was a powerful, moving, and life-changing moment, when all the efforts came to a head and two Mates found themselves joined for life. Truly, upon the final step being completed, a Mated pair would depend on each other, when one died, the other often followed, such was the depth of their bond that the soul could no longer go on without its other half.

"Why?" she frowned, confused as to why he hadn't answered her question.

It was something that had bothered her from the beginning. She knew, he'd mentioned, that he had felt _something_ for her before he regenerated, but...she couldn't help but worry that it was just wishful thinking on his part, looking back on how he felt and interpreting it to how he was currently feeling. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell his 9th self she loved him, hadn't heard it from him either. And then he regenerated and suddenly...he loved her. He claimed that he had before and that now it was just that he could _express_ it. She believed him, she _did_ , but...somewhere in the back of her mind she feared that it was just an affect of how suddenly he'd changed, that...what if he regenerated again and _didn't_ love her still? She knew it was a silly thought, their feelings and memories didn't change upon regeneration but...it just bothered her that he suddenly seemed so focused on her.

That was just it, to her, it was _so sudden_.

She was afraid that, once the newness of his new body wore off...once his feelings settled...that he'd realize he'd made a mistake. No one on Gallifrey had _ever_ even given her a second glance. True, she hardly made an effort, the TARDISes didn't care what she looked like, if she walked around in her dirty work clothes with grease on her face and her hair all tangled. Other Time Lords though, did, it seemed. She was just the dirty TARDIS farmer, the only time they talked to her was when they had a problem with their TARDIS or had come to select one.

To have someone like _the Doctor_ interested in _her_ , _love_ her even, she just...she couldn't believe it was _real_. She just couldn't believe he wanted her for _her_ and not because of the reasons she'd just listed. He was just...too amazing to want a simple Time Lady like herself.

"I want you to see how _amazing_ I think you are," he told her sincerely, as though reading her mind, "How fantastic, how brilliant," she looked down and the Doctor quickly lifted her chin, "And I _know_ you won't believe me without seeing it in my head and in my hearts first."

It was his fault, he knew, why she felt this way. He'd asked her to be his Mate but done little in terms of actually seeing the process begun. He'd...he _knew_ his regeneration had thrown her, knew she felt guilty about it, and he wanted to give her time to get to know the new him before they really began anything. If (and he really _prayed_ it _wouldn't_ happen) she decided she _didn't_ like this new man that he was, then they could stop. Once the process had begun, there was _no_ turning back. He'd be heartbroken, devastated really, the traditions of their people broken too, if they stopped even after having asked her to be his Mate, but...he'd stop, for her. It didn't seem like she _wanted_ it to stop though, he now realized. It seemed like she had taken his hesitations in beginning the process as his own hesitations about it and about her.

That wouldn't do at all.

He just...he hadn't wanted to _hurt_ her. As she had said when he'd asked her, they had to take this _slow_. Neither of them had Mated before, not that they truly could have Mated to someone and then Mated to another person, the bond wouldn't allow that. But...it was new to both of them, he was new to her, and it really _was_ far too serious a step to take too hastily. He didn't want to rush her. He didn't want to make her feel like he was pushing her to do something she might not have been ready for. He wanted to give her the chance to form the bond he'd felt with her in his last body with his new one. He'd tried to keep things as slow as possible, for her, the times she'd been brilliant and all he wanted to do was just pull her into his arms and kiss her or compliment her or praise her, he'd held back on. It seemed, in trying to not rush into things, in trying to control himself (which was admittedly one of the hardest things he'd had to do in his long lives), he'd given her the impression he might be regretting his proposal to Mate.

Well, he had to smirk a bit, no more slow going for him.

Not anymore.

Now, he'd kiss her and praise her and hold her to his hearts' content, _anything_ to prove to her, as Reinette had insisted, that he truly _did_ love her with all his hearts. Because he _did_. She had slowly but surely become his world, now he just had to _show_ her that, _prove_ to her that he wasn't about to let her go for anything. She was his Mate.

She would be in for quite the time.

"I know you're telling me the truth," she mumbled, "I _know_ you are. I just… _I_ have trouble believing in it. I've spent my whole life thinking I was nothing special, a simple TARDIS farmer, not a very good one Time Lady either according to my father. It's just…hard…to believe someone actually thinks _I'm_ special. Especially someone as wonderful as you."

He grinned softly, "And that's just it," he cupped her cheek, stroking it gently, "I wouldn't pick anyone less than absolutely amazingly brilliant to be my Mate. And I picked _you_ , Nella."

She looked into his eyes, looking for any hint of falseness, but could only see truth and honesty. She leaned forward and just hugged him close, letting her head rest on his chest, hearing his double hearts beating, for her. A soft smile grew on her face as he wrapped his arms around her as well, just holding her.

Perhaps, one day, she really _could_ feel like she deserved this mad, ridiculous, wonderful man.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww...I have no words :) So much fluff in store for them ;)


	19. Rise of the Cybermen: A Parallel World

A man in a white lab coat pressed a button, switching on a flood light, silhouetting a human-like yet clearly robotic outline, "The prototype has passed every test, sir. It's working!"

"I hardly think 'working' is the correct word," an older man in a wheelchair called out, gliding into the room, the chair he was sitting on packed and crowded with medical equipment, a breathing apparatus, among other things, "That would apply only to machines."

"I'm sorry," the scientist replied, "I should say...it's _alive_."

The man wheeled his chair closer to the 'robot,' eyeing it closely, "Can it hear me?"

"It might still be in shock," the scientist glanced at his readings when the metal man didn't reply, "Bear in mind the brain _has_ been _welded_ to the exoskeleton."

"Skin of metal..." he breathed, spinning the wheelchair to the side to examine the robot, "...and a body that will _never_ age...or die. I _envy_ it. Do you know me? Answer. Do you know me?"

"You are John Lumic," the robot replied.

Lumic laughed, "My child. Mark this day, Dr. Kendrick. We are _blessed_!"

"Well, it's not quite over yet, sir," Kendrick stated, "We need Geneva's approval. Technically, this _is_ a new form of life. And that contravenes the bio-convention. They need to ratify this."

"And they will refuse me."

"Nonetheless, we need to tell them."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, I'm sorry, sir, but it's my duty. _I_ shall have to inform them."

Lumic smirked, glancing back at Kendrick, "And how will you do that from beyond the grave?"

"I don't quite understand..." Kendrick shook his head.

"Kill him," Lumic ordered.

Kendrick's smile faded as he turned around, just in time for the robot to grasp his shoulder, electrocuting him. He cried out in pain as Lumic just smiled.

"Captain?" he called into a computer.

"Yes, sir?" came the Captain's reply.

"Inform all staff. We have a new destination. Set sail...for Great Britain!"

~8~

The Doctor and Rose were sitting side-by-side on the captain's chair of the TARDIS while Mickey stood by the console and Angel laid on her back, half-under it, working away at a few wires that had blown during their last adventure.

"And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes?" the Doctor smiled as he and Rose recounted an adventure for Mickey, apparently, he'd been as curious as to the Doctor and Rose's adventures before he joined up as Angel had been, "Do you remember? The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and _fire_ comes out!"

"I thought I was gonna get frazzled!" Rose laughed, "Thank God Angel pulled me out of the way!"

"Yeah! One minute she's standing there, and the next minute…rawwwh!" they both made moves as though fire were coming out of their mouths, laughing hysterically.

Mickey gave a small nod, trying to keep up, but they were just jumping around all over the place, "Yeah...where…where was that, then? What happened?"

"Oh, it was on this um...uh, this uh...planet thing, asteroid," the Doctor waved him off, "It's a long story, you had to be there."

"Don't worry Mickey!" Angel called, her voice just a bit muffled from under the console, "I'll tell you everything as _soon_ as I'm done."

Mickey grinned, he really loved that about Angel. She never left him out, always made sure that he was up with whatever was going on around them, trying her very best so he wouldn't feel lost or confused. And, to be honest he hadn't, not in the last few adventures. He was actually really starting to _enjoy_ this, these trips, he'd actually managed to understand some of 'tech talk' between the Doctor and Rose, which had surprised the Doctor quite a bit. He'd just smirked and said his pilot had been giving him lessons. Angel had blushed when the Doctor remarked that he understood, if Angel had been his teacher in the Academy he would have definitely paid attention more. That is, until Rose pointed out he'd have _failed_ that class because he'd be paying too much attention to _Angel_ and not what she was _teaching_.

The Doctor hadn't even argued, agreeing fully.

He had to admit, he'd noticed a change in the Doctor and Angel ever since Madame de Pompadour, they were...closer. He couldn't really describe it, but they were closer than he'd ever seen since the Doctor had regenerated, limited as his experience with the man was, he'd only really had one trip with the man but even then he'd been able to see the change. But Angel was happy, _really_ happy, and that made him happy too.

"Thanks!" he nudged her leg with his foot, unable to really kneel down as he was…

"Um..." the Doctor eyed him, pushing a button on the console, holding it down, "What're you doing that for?"

"'Cos you told me to..."

The Doctor nodded, "When was that?"

"About half an hour ago…"

"Um," he swallowed, a bit embarrassed, "You can let go now."

Rose sniggered as Mickey let go of the button, "Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?"

"Ten minutes? Twenty?"

"29," Angel said, sliding out from under the panel and wiping her hands off on a small rag beside her.

"You just forgot me!" Mickey shouted.

"I don't ignore Rose," Angel told the Doctor, pointing a warning finger at him, "Don't you ignore my companion."

Mickey smirked as Angel defended him. It was nice to know that _she_ at least paid attention to him, even when the Doctor was in the room, because the man really _did_ tend to blot things out when he was around. Even Rose hadn't noticed him at times in favor of the Doctor, like when she'd run off when Margaret the Slitheen had tried to tear Cardiff apart. He thought it would be even more of a 'blotting' now that the Doctor had been sweeter on Angel than ever before. He really had no idea how Angel could tear her attention away from the man when he started on her. Half the time he felt like the Doctor might be doing it purposefully to try and distract Angel enough for him to let a slight insult slip through. Angel, though, always seemed to know what he was trying to do and would catch him right out and add a compliment to her companion just to balance it out.

"No, no, no," the Doctor insisted, "I wasn't! I was just…I was just...I was _calibrating_. I was just...no, I know _exactly_ what I'm doing."

"Right…" Angel laughed, nodding, with a smile on her face, "The last time you said that we ended up…AH!" she hunched forward suddenly, grabbing her head as a severe, sharp pain shot through it.

The Doctor half threw himself out of the chair to kneel at her side, concerned. He'd _just_ reached her, _just_ taken her face in his hands, when the console exploded violently. Sparks and flames shot up everywhere, making the humans scream in slight fear. He grabbed Angel, trying to shield her from the heat as the TARDIS fell through the Vortex. He looked down as Angel tried to reach the console, both of them turning to attempt operating the box.

"What's happened?!" Rose gasped.

"The Time Vortex is _gone_!" Angel called, grabbing a lever and trying to pull it down…the emergency brake that she had fixed a while ago, but it wouldn't budge.

"That's _impossible_ ," the Doctor shook his head, moving to help her, "It can't be just _gone_!"

The TARDIS jolted.

"Hold on!" Angel warned the humans as the Doctor grabbed her to pull her down and shield her, "Crash landing!"

They barely had time to duck down before the TARDIS landed with an almighty thud, throwing them all backwards, gasmasks falling from the ceiling as the lights on the TARDIS went out.

"Everyone alright?" the Doctor asked, looking around as he helped Angel to her feet, checking her first to make sure she was fine before turning to their companions, "Rose, Mickey?"

"I'm fine," Mickey nodded, getting up on the other side of the console, "I'm ok, sorry..." he frowned, looking at Angel who was staring up at the rotor, "Angel? You alright?"

They looked over at her before following her gaze to the darkened, still rotor and all around the console.

"She's _dead_ ," Angel breathed, laying a hand on the console, still warm as the engines cooled down.

"The TARDIS is dead," the Doctor shook his head, unable to wrap his mind around that as he stepped to her side, putting an arm around her waist, holding her close, knowing how jarring it must be for her given her occupation on Gallifrey. This was the _last_ TARDIS and now it was just...gone.

"You can fix it?" Rose asked them hopefully.

"There's nothing to fix," Angel shook her head mournfully, twisting a knob to no avail, tears starting to gather in her eyes. She felt her breath catch in her throat, her stomach clenching terrible, this _couldn't_ be happening.

"She's perished," the Doctor agreed, pulling a lever, "The last TARDIS in the Universe...extinct."

"We can get help, yeah?" Rose tried again, seeing how upset the Time Lords were growing.

"Where from?" he turned to her, stepping away from Angel.

"Well, we've landed, we've gotta be somewhere."

"We fell out of the Vortex, through the Void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no-place...the silent realm...the lost dimension..."

"Otherwise known as London!" Mickey called from the doors, now open. They turned to see him standing in sunlight before stepping out. Rose laughed and ran after him, the Doctor watching them, before glancing at Angel who still stood near the console, her hand on it, stroking it lightly.

"You alright?" he asked her quietly.

"It _hurts_ …" she murmured, blinking back her tears as she lightly rubbed the center of her chest, feeling her hearts pounding.

He quickly walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. He'd noticed her connection to the TARDIS, he could only imagine what it must be doing to her to have the TARDIS die, especially being so newly bound to it, "Hey," he whispered in her ear as he nuzzled the top of her head with his nose, "It'll be alright…we'll figure something out. Ok?" she nodded into his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"Come on," she mumbled, sliding her hands down his arms to take his hand, "We better make sure our companions aren't causing a commotion outside."

He laughed at that, knowing that it was a combination of her truly wanting to check on their companions and partly not wanting to be in the dark TARDIS, knowing there was _nothing_ she could do to help the old box. It had just... _died_...there truly was _nothing_ to fix, everything was fine, it was just... _gone_.

She stepped away from him, heading towards the doors when he tugged her back a moment, smiling as he cupped her face, "Nella," he breathed, his thumb catching a stray tear and wiping it away, "Everything WILL be fine," he promised her. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, before realizing, he really _should_ stop doing that. One kiss, one _quick_ kiss, was far too little and far too short. He smiled softly, leaning in to kiss her just a bit longer, not pulling away till he could feel her starting to smile again. He beamed when he saw the faint blush on her cheeks and the smile now gracing her beautiful face, "There it is," he let his thumb gently trace her lips, "That smile," he winked, "I love that smile."

She let out a little laugh, "Yeah, well, I love that grin," she pointed up at him, at his beam, before taking his hand again moving him towards the doors once more, heading out to see London, just as Mickey had said.

"London, England, Earth," Mickey grinned, "Hold on..." he jumped down off a low wall and picked up a paper from the dustbin, "First of February, this year, not exactly far-flung, is it?"

Rose jumped down and looked over his shoulder to see the paper, followed by the Doctor, who continued to walk alongside the wall, holding Angel's hand as she walked on top of it.

"So, this is London," the Doctor looked around.

"Yep."

"Your city."

"That's the one."

"Just as we left it."

"Bang on."

"And that _includes_ the zeppelins?"

They looked up to see the sky full of zeppelins, Angel laughing at the sight, nope, definitely not their London.

"What the hell..." Mickey gaped.

"That's _beautiful_ ," Rose gasped.

"Ok…so, it's London with a big international zeppelin festival."

"This is _not_ your world," the Doctor stated.

"But if the _date's_ the same..." Mickey frowned.

"That's because it's…" the Doctor began.

But Angel nudged him in the side, "Wait for it," she turned to Mickey, "Go on Mickey," she urged, smiling as she saw the pieces fall together a few moments later.

Mickey's eyes widened, "...it's parallel, right?"

He looked at Angel, eager and a bit happy that she'd let him work it out for his own. Just because he wasn't as experienced with time travel like Rose or as clever as the Doctor didn't mean he was stupid, something Angel seemed to realize. It really made him WANT to answer things too. The way she looked at him, like she knew he could do it, like she knew he was capable of working something out for himself and not needing others to spell it out for him, it meant so much to him. Angel would give him all the time he needed and all the hints she could to help him, letting him come to it on his own terms. And truly, that was how he learned best, working it out for himself. You could tell someone 2 plus 2 equalled 4 but if they didn't know addition, they'd never understand how it equalled 4. He didn't just want to know facts, he wanted to _understand_.

"Am I right?" he grinned, getting excited, feeling like he just might be right, "Like a parallel Earth where they've got zeppelins, am I right? I'm right, aren't I?"

"Must be," the Doctor nodded, looking around.

Angel hopped off the wall and put an arm around Mickey, hugging him sideways, proud, "My companion is _brilliant_!"

Mickey beamed at her. The last Doctor kept calling him an idiot, made him feel it too, Angel though...she did this a lot, called him brilliant. Didn't necessarily mean he _believed_ her, but it was still nice.

"So, a parallel world where…" Rose shook her head.

"Oh, come on," Mickey grinned at her, feeling more confident now, "You see it on films. Like an alternative to our world were everything's the same but a little bit different, like...I dunno, traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected..."

"And he's still alive…" Rose added, her words faint as she stared at a poster they'd just passed, of her father, Pete Tyler, on a wall, holding a bottle of Vitex, seemingly a wealthy businessman, "A parallel world and my dad's still alive..."

"Rose don't look at it," Angel warned as the girl stepped towards it.

"Don't even _think_ about it," the Doctor agreed, "This is _not_ your world."

"But he's my _dad_ …and..." she reached out to touch the poster, the picture springing to life.

"Trust me on this," the poster said, winking and giving a thumbs up.

Rose smiled, "Oh, that's weird. But he's _real_!"

"Trust me on this."

She laughed, not noticing the others watching her sadly, "He's a _success_! He was always planning these daft little schemes, health-food drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he _did it_!"

The Doctor suddenly reached out and took Rose by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, "Rose, if you've _ever_ trusted me, then listen to me now," she glanced at it, "Stop looking at it!" she hesitated before looking back at the Doctor, "Your father's dead. He died when you were six months old. That is not your Pete. That is A Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose. His _own_ daughter who is someone else, but not _you_."

Rose started to look at the poster again but managed to refrain.

"You can't see him Rose," Angel stepped up and put a hand on Rose's shoulder, even though the girl wasn't her companion, she was still her friend, and she knew how much this must be killing her, she could recall how devastated Rose had been the last time they'd met Pete Tyler, "Not ever."

Rose swallowed hard and nodded as Mickey came over and put his arm around her too, the poster still repeating, 'Trust me on this.'

~8~

Pete pulled up to an enormous house in a rather plush car, a bunch of flowers in his hand as he headed to the front door, hiding them behind him as he entered, "Hello?" he called, "Sweetheart? Only me."

"Oh," Jackie appeared on a staircase, nicely dressed but irritated, "The bad penny. Was this _your_ idea? Don't deny it, it's got your fingerprints _all_ over it," she mockingly gave him a thumbs up, "'Trust me on this.' Oh, I can trust you alright. Trust you to cock it up."

"What've I done _now_?" he sighed.

"Have a look," she led him into another room where the staff were putting up a huge banner reading 'Happy 40th Birthday' as she put her hands on her hips to glare at him.

"What's wrong with _that_?"

"40. It says _40_."

"You _are_ 40."

"Well, I don't want the whole world telling, do I?"

"You're having a _party_ tonight!"

"My _39th_. My official biography says I was born on the same day as Cuba Gooding Junior, and that makes me 39, thank you very much," she turned and strode out of the room, "Rose? Come here! Rose?"

Pete followed her out into the hall, holding out the flowers to her, "These are from the girls in the office. Happy birthday."

"I've got hand-sculpted arrangements by _Veronica of Reykjavik_ , and your secretary stopped off at a _garage_?" she eyed them with disgust, "I don't _think_ so. And if you're giving out presents, where's my zeppelin? Everyone _else_ has got one!" Pete slotted the flowers into the banister as Jackie continued to call up the stairs, "Rose? Come on, Rose!" she turned back to Pete and gestured at the ear-pods she had in her ears, "Look, you didn't even _notice_ , did you? Special delivery. Got sent round today. Birthday present from Mr. Lumic. Latest model. Diamond studded. Pick up signals from Venezuela."

"Why would you wanna pick up signals from Venezuela?"

"Well, I don't know! But now I can find out!" she rounded on the stairs, "For God's sake, where is she? Rose? Oh, she needs a good bath before tonight, she's gonna be honking. Rose, come to mummy!" a small yorkie puppy clambered down the stairs and right over to Jackie, "Come on! There you are, my darling!" she patted the dog on the head when Pete's phone began to ring.

He tapped the ear-pod, "Mr. Lumic! Jackie was just saying thank you. That's very kind of you."

"Those ear-pods are handmade," Lumic's raspy voice replied, "Tell her to take care."

"Course I will, course I will. I don't suppose you'll be uh, joining us tonight? For the party? We'd be very honored."

"The world below can party. Some of us have work to do. My plans have advanced, Peter. The President has promised a decision. I'm flying in now. We'll be at the air slip by five o'clock."

"Right," he paused, glancing at Jackie to make sure she wasn't listening, "It's just that...I promised I'd help the wife out tonight."

"If the President of Great Britain can make this meeting, then so can you."

"Oh I dunno, he's not married to Jackie, is he?"

"Five o'clock, Mr. Tyler. Famous day."

~8~

Up on the zeppelin, Lumic pushed away his breathing apparatus and turned to the computer, "Voice-print access. John Lumic," he waited till his name appeared on the screen, "Initiate ear-pod override. Subject, Jacqueline Tyler. Activate."

~8~

Jackie sat at her vanity, powdering her face when she froze, dropping her brush, and stared into space. The ear-pods activated, a metal rod sticking up from them and connecting over her head.

~8~

"Download, Tyler residence, February the 1st, give me security arrangements for tonight," Lumic ordered, "Passwords, encryptions, services," he watched as the information scrolled across the screen, "And restore."

~8~

Jackie's ear-pods retracted back into themselves and Jackie unfroze. She blinked a few times, shaking her head slightly before shrugging off her disorientation and picking up her brush to resume her powdering.

~8~

"Thank you, Mrs. Tyler," Lumic sneered, "Activate picture link," a screen popped up with his associate, another man in a white coat, "Mr. Crane?"

Mr. Crane looked up, a bit startled, to see Lumic, "Mr. Lumic?"

"Events are moving faster than I anticipated. I need extra staff."

"Very good, sir. I shall go on a recruitment drive," he turned to the man driving the lorry he was sitting in, "Back her up!" the driver turned and began to reverse the truck slowly, Lumic cutting off the footage.

~8~

Angel leaned against the Doctor as they sat at the captain's chair, just looking at the unmoving rotor, "You got any feelings about all this?" the Doctor asked her, absently stroking her arm.

"No," she shook her head, sighing as she snuggled more into him, "I feel like I'm half asleep, like I'm off, like I'm…empty…"

"I don't think you're just intuitive and have an affinity with TARDISes," he murmured, thinking out loud, "I think the connection goes deeper than that. And with the TARDIS gone, you feel the absence more…"

He'd noticed how she was with the TARDIS. He'd been in the old box for _centuries_ and even HE couldn't read the box like she could and he knew, with her age, she while she _had_ been around MORE TARDISes than he had, he'd been around this particular one longer. It was the way she reacted to the box. How the box reacted to her. It was different, how she knew things about the old box, different than her normal 'feelings' or 'sensations,' it was...something else entirely. He didn't know what, exactly, but he could just tell it was special.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

"What we always do," he dropped a kiss on top of her head, "Make it up as we go along and hope for the best," Angel nodded, leaning more into him as he hugged her to his side.

This was the scene Mickey walked into as he entered the darkened TARDIS, the two of them snuggled together, talking quietly.

"I thought I told you to keep an eye on her," the Doctor remarked as Mickey walked over to them.

"She's alright…" Mickey began.

"She goes wandering off," the Doctor shook his head, getting up to look at Mickey more pointedly, "Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house! All those temptations calling out..."

"Oh, so it's just _Rose_ then?" Mickey glared at him, "Nothing out there to tempt _me_?"

"Oh there's loads," Angel got up, moving to link her arm through Mickey's for a moment, nudging him, "That's why I'm glad you came in."

Mickey shot her a gentle smile as she looked over at the console, at least SOMEONE cared about him.

"And how am _I_ supposed to know?" the Doctor reasoned, "I can't worry about _everything_...if I could just get this thing to…"

"Don't kick the console," Angel called, a split second before the Doctor did just that.

He walked over to the captain's chair, grimacing in pain.

"Did that help?" Mickey asked, mildly amused.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded.

"Did that hurt?"

"Yes," the Doctor repeated, before rubbing his foot, "Ow."

"I _told_ you not to kick her," Angel remarked.

He looked at her suspiciously, "A feeling?"

She smiled softly at him and shook her head, "No, I just know you."

~8~

Rose strolled down the bank of the Thames, coming to sit on a bench, deep in thought, as the zeppelins chugged softly overhead. A moment later her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her pocket. The message on the screen said 'Welcome, free trial period' and she frowned. She agreed and footage of the news began to play.

"...and it's good news for Great Britain as John Lumic returns to the country of his birth. Mr. Lumic, the inventor of high-content metal, has denied allegations of ill health."

"We're all flesh and blood, but the _brain_ is what makes us human," a rather ill-looking man she could only assume was Lumic spoke, "And my mind is more creative than _ever_."

"With shares in Cybus Industries doubling in price, Mr. Lumic..." the newsreader continued.

Rose glanced up at the zeppelins, realizing who might be inside them. She quickly looked down at her phone and closed it as the reporter went on to discuss some Torchwood institute.

~8~

"We really shouldn't be here," Angel was explaining to Mickey, refusing to leave him in the dark about all this. He was HER companion and she would be damned if she let him feel as left out as the Doctor had, something Mickey seemed to appreciate. She walked around the console slowly as she spoke, trying to sense if there was anything at all that could help, "A TARDIS can draw power right from the Universe, but this world, it's the wrong Universe. It's like..." she frowned, trying to think of a way to explain it simply, "If you put diesel in a petrol engine."

"But...I've seen it in comics," Mickey fell down into the seat beside the Doctor on the captain's chair, "People are hopping from one alternative world to another, it's easy."

"Not in the _real_ world," the Doctor replied with a sigh, "Used to be easy. When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could hop between realities, home in time for tea. Then they died, took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind."

"Then how did we get _here_?"

"I dunno. Accident? Should've been impossible, now we're trapped."

"There's something..." Angel murmured, coming to a stop.

"What?" Mickey shook his head.

Angel looked around, rubbing her head, as though trying to find something, before looking down, her eyes widening, "That! That's not a reflection is it?"

They looked down to see a small green light on under the grilling.

"It's a light!" the Doctor shouted, "Is it? Is that a light? I think that's a light! That's all we need!" he dashed over to Angel, "Well done!" and kissed her, this time needing it to be a quick one as they had work to do.

Angel laughed as she stepped back, the Doctor and Mickey pulling up the grilling.

"We've got power!" the Doctor cheered, jumping down, "We've got power! Ha!"

~8~

Crane strode out of the lorry as it pulled up to a scrap yard where a handful of homeless people were milling around. He patted the side of the lorry signaling for it to be opened before continuing on to the men, "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! I beg your attention. Christmas has come early, so come and get it," two of his staff let down a ramp onto the back of the lorry, "Ah, smell that, comrades. Burgers and chips, sausage and beans..." the men, starving, started for the van, not seeing a young man with spikey blonde hair hiding behind some junk, looking on anxiously, a video camera in his hand, "Pork...chicken...and hot, sweet tea. All for free."

"Don't go!" the young man ran forward, trying to stop the last man.

"Oh, but there's _food_!" the man breathed, staring at the lorry.

"All you can eat, free of charge," Crane continued, "Don't just stand there! Fill your faces with pasty and..."

"He's _lying_ ," the young man insisted.

"It's easy for _you_ to say," the man countered, "When did you last _starve_?"

"All those people disappearing off the streets. It's been going on for _months_. It's _them_. _They're_ taking you away."

"What for?"

"Experiments."

"Oh, I'm so hungry..." the man looked torn for a moment, before heading towards the lorry.

"So, come and get it while it's hot!" Crane shouted, "That's it, kind sir! Get in there and fill your face!" the man hopped into the lorry as the young man ducked behind some scrap and began filming, "Feast yourself, brother. Feast yourself!"

Suddenly screams rang out form the lorry, the last man struggling to get out but was pushed violently back inside.

"Take them away."

"No!" the last man shouted, "No, help!"

The lorry doors were shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're going to see a bit more about another aspect of Angel's powers I've been hinting at since Father's Day. The Doctor has figured it out, have you?


	20. Rise of the Cybermen: A Companionable Split

Angel and Mickey looked down as the Doctor stood in the grilling, just underneath the console, ripping out some rather important looking items that Mickey was sure probably would have sparked or set fire to something had the TARDIS not been seemingly permantently powered down at the moment.

"Oh be _careful_!" Angel cried, avoiding a mess of wires that was thrown out, "I'm going to have to fix all that later," she pulled Mickey into a duck as bits of old tubing were tossed back, sailing over their heads, "I'd rather not have you rip _everything_ out."

"But it's alive!" he cried, excited.

"And you won't be for long when the TARDIS is back and working," Angel reminded him, kneeling down beside the opening, "She'll _murder_ you for this."

The Doctor paused for only a moment, considering her words, "Nah," he shook his head, throwing a wink at her over his shoulder, "You'll fix everything up right as rain for me before that happens right?"

Angel smiled softly and had to laugh, "Of course I will," she nodded, reaching out to gently touch his face, "I can't lose my Mate now can I?"

He beamed, turning his head to drop a kiss onto her fingers before he turned back to his digging, Angel blushing a bit, pulling her hand back, as Mickey smirked.

He really was happy for her though. That look just then, that look between Angel and the Doctor, he and Rose used to have that look. Or, he didn't know, maybe they didn't? He knew he certainly looked at Rose that way. And...he realized...she...never really had _returned_ that look. He should have known really, figured it out ages ago, but...he always did that. Ever since he was a kid, he'd just grab onto the nearest thing and hold on. Rose had been there for him during quite a few tough times in his life, he hadn't wanted to lose the comfort he associated with her.

He blinked, frowning as he realized...comfort. That _was_ what he associated with Rose. Not...not _love_. Well...that was something. He paused a moment. Huh. It didn't...hurt...as much as he thought it would to realize Rose _didn't_ really love him, not in _that_ way. But...he was ok with it. Because, he supposed, in a way he had loved Rose but, he'd had to grow up quite a bit during that first year she'd spent with the Doctor. He'd grown distant, they both had, not just because of her travelling, but...he'd started to realize that she really wouldn't stay and that she had changed. The Rose he knew wouldn't have left him in the middle of a crumbling Cardiff with no idea what was going on, she'd probably have pulled him to the nearest doorway thinking it was an earthquake.

And that was fine because he'd changed too.

He'd changed.

He blinked, he really _had_.

Months ago he wouldn't have _ever_ even let the _idea_ of Rose leaving make its way into his mind and here he was, thinking of it but without the bitterness. Rose had her own life, her own friends, her own sense of self. Travelling with the Doctor had helped her to grow and find out who she was, the sort of person she wanted to be.

And now, now it was his turn to find out who he'd be, with Angel there to help him.

He smiled, listen to him sounding all mature and noble.

He shook his head, seeing the Doctor slowly straightening with a small object in his hand, "What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing," the Doctor started to smile, turning to Angel, cupping the object in his hands to show her, "It's tiny. One of those insignificant little power cells that no one ever bothers about, and it's clinging onto life. But with one little ounce of reality tucked away inside."

"Enough to get us home?"

"Not just yet," Angel said as the Doctor handed her the power cell before pulling himself up onto the grilling beside her, "We just need to charge it up."

"We could go outside and latch it up to the national grid!"

Angel laughed with a smile, "That would definitely power any other power cell up, 100 percent. But for this," she held up the cell to show Mickey, "It's the wrong energy," Angel looked back down at the cell, moving it between her and the Doctor, the Doctor smiling at her softly, proud, he loved hearing her talk so confidently, talk about something she knew, and TARDISes were definitely something she knew inside and out, "It'll only work if it's energy from our Universe."

"But we don't have anything…"

"There's _us_ ," the Doctor said as he leaned over Angel, placing his hands around hers, both of them blowing softly on the cell in Angel's hands, making it glow, Angel starting to blush a bit, feeling the Doctor's breath on her hands was a nice feeling, feeling his thumbs absently running over the back of her hands was even nicer, "We each just gave away five years of our lives," the Doctor beamed, "Worth every second!" he laughed as Angel smiled as well.

~8~

Rose sat on a bench by the Thames, searching Peter Tyler on the Cybus Network.

~8~

"It's going out, is that ok?" Mickey looked at them, concerned, as the cell started to fade.

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, when Angel beat him to it, "It's just on a recharging cycle," she smiled as it glowed brighter again, pulsing, "It'll keep looping around till it fully powers back up," she looked up at Mickey, "Only needs about 24 hours before we can get back."

The Doctor took the cell and kissed it, before leaning in and kissing Angel as well, "You are _brilliant_ ," he told her softly, beaming at her.

"Stop it," she whispered, playfully nudging him.

It seemed the Doctor had been serious during their discussion after helping Reinette. He really _was_ dead set on proving to her how amazing he thought she was. The way he looked at her, the way he moved around her, the way he kept touching her...she was finding it harder and harder to keep believing that she wasn't worth him, especially when he looked at her with that sparkle in his eyes that only ever flared to life around her. It took her breath away and made her hearts race to see him looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It really made her try as hard as she could to establish the mental bond with him just so she could see truly what he thought of her.

It was turning out to be more difficult than either had anticipated though.

"So, that gives us 24 hours on a parallel world?" Mickey asked, excited.

"Shore leave!" the Doctor nodded, tossing the cell in the air and catching it again, "As long as we keep our heads down. Easy. No problem."

He stood up, reaching out to help Angel to her feet, not letting go of her hand as he entwined their fingers together, "We should tell Rose the good news!" she cheered.

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Mickey walked along the sidewalk by the Thames till they spotted Rose, "There you are!" the Doctor cried, "You alright? No applause, we fixed it!" he pulled out the cell to show her, "24 hours, then we're flying back to reality," he sat down on the bench beside her, holding it up, but she didn't even notice.

"Rose?" Angel asked, sitting down on the other side of her as Mickey stood at the end of the bench. She reached out and put her hand on Rose's shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"My phone connected," Rose sighed, "There's this...Cybus Network, it finds your phone. It gave me Internet access."

"Rose, whatever it says, this is the _wrong_ world," the Doctor reminded her.

"I don't exist."

"What do you mean?" Angel shook her head, "Of course you exist. You're sitting right here," she poked her in the arm, "Real and solid."

"No I mean...there's no Rose Tyler, here, in this world. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie...he still married mum...but they never had kids."

"Give me that phone," the Doctor tried to snatch it away.

Rose just pulled it back, "They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want," she frowned, "But they haven't got _me_ ," she stood and walked off to look at the river before turning to face them, "I've gotta see him."

"You can't."

"I just wanna _see_ him."

"We can't let you."

"You just said 24 hours!"

"Do you remember the last time you wanted to see your father," Angel glared, suddenly angry, "We told you not to and guess what happened, you didn't listen and nearly destroyed the world!"

She really had no idea where the anger was coming from. No...that wasn't entirely true. It was the Doctor. It was what happened to him as a result of Rose's actions...she couldn't even bring herself to say it out loud just then. She could still remember _exactly_ how she felt seeing the Doctor taken by the Reapers, the despair, the crushing pain, the fear, the heart breaking realization that she was _alone_ again. She could feel herself getting upset just _thinking_ about it, if Pete hadn't managed to fix everything, if she'd _truly_ lost the Doctor...

She felt someone take her hand and looked over to see it was the Doctor. She knew he hadn't felt her emotions, they hadn't come anywhere _near_ being ready to take that step, but she knew what he'd say as an excuse. Apparently this version of her wore her heart on her sleeve, her expressions gave away her feelings, and she must have looked devastated if the pained expression on his face was anything to go by.

He hated seeing her upset.

She took a breath, reminding herself that he was still there, with her, and squeezed his hand, reassuring him she was fine as well, that she would be fine.

"Well that won't happen this time," Rose countered, "'Cos he's alive here."

"You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works!" the Doctor turned and stood abruptly, starting to get upset as well, "Mickey, tell her."

"24 hours, yeah?" Mickey murmured in thought before he took a step back.

"Where're you going?" the Doctor looked at him.

"Well, I can do what I want!"

"I've got the address and everything," Rose started walking backwards too.

"Stay where you are, both of you!" the Doctor shouted, looking between them, "Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now!"

"I just wanna _see_ him."

"Yeah, I've got things to see and all," Mickey nodded.

"Like WHAT?" the Doctor glared.

"Well, you don't know anything about me, do ya?" Mickey glared at him in return, "It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part."

"Not to me Mickey," Angel got up and stepped towards him, "You're MY companion."

"I'm sorry," Rose murmured, turning to walk away, "I've _gotta_ go."

"Go on then," Mickey scoffed at the Doctor, "No choice, is there?"

"He's right," Angel cut in, looking at the Doctor as she rubbed her head, "You go with your companion and I'll go with mine."

"Angel…" the Doctor began, not liking the idea of being separated. _Really_ not liking the idea. While he _did_ trust Mickey to keep her safe, _he'd_ rather be the one keeping her protected, being there for her, being her...hero. He knew she loved it when he played the hero. Her very own knight in shining armor.

"It's the _only_ way we can make sure they BOTH stay out of trouble."

He sighed, he couldn't argue with that. As she had pointed out on numerous occasions, Mickey was HER companion. She was as determined to protect and look after the boy as he had been, and still was, with Rose. It was all about responsibility and he couldn't ask her to abandon her companion, he just had to trust that everything would be alright...not an easy thing to do give how his psychic Mate seemed to have been blindfolded for the moment. He reached into his pocket and tossed her the power cell, "Back here in 24 hours."

"Of course," she smiled lightly, knowing why he'd given her the cell. It was a part of the TARDIS and, if _he_ couldn't be with her, he wanted something of his, of _theirs_ , to be with her instead. She stepped up to him and gave him a quick peck, "I could never stay away from you for too long," she added.

She moved to join Mickey when the Doctor pulled her back, kissing her deeply, leaving her rather breathless when he pulled away, actually needing to take a few moments to gather his bearings himself as he rested his forehead against her own, smiling softly. He _loved_ that feeling. That feeling of being so happy it felt like his hearts would burst. He looked up at Mickey, the man smirking at them, "I'm trusting you to take care of her," he told the boy, serious.

Mickey nodded resolutely, "I'd never let anything happen to her," he promised, _meaning_ it.

The Doctor nodded as Angel squeezed his hand and moved back to her companion.

"You can count on me boss!" Mickey smiled, giving a little salute, just happy that Angel had chosen _him_ and stuck with _him_ , her companion, instead of going with Rose, her friend.

The Doctor shook his head, watching them go, waiting till Angel disappeared around a corner before he remembered, Rose! He turned and jogging after his own wayward companion, catching up to her a short ways down the road.

~8~

Lumic's zeppelin touched down on an airstrip as a car pulled up and a black man and two guards stepped out to see Pete already there, "Mr. Tyler," the man greeted as he approached, "What the matter, couldn't wait until tonight?"

"Mr. President," Pete shook his hand, "Honored. I'm on the fast-track program. Cybus Industries have pulled up my company, so I'm part of the firm now."

"Some people say they've bought my government."

"I've never heard anybody say that. Never," he winked and gave a thumbs up, "You can trust me on this."

"I tried your drink. That Vitex stuff. It tastes like pop."

"Well, it _is_ pop."

"You made money by selling a health-food drink into a sick world. Not quite the ordinary Joe you appear to be, are you?" Pete looked like he didn't know what to say, the President sighed, "He does like to keep us waiting," he walked off, Pete following till they reached the steps of the zeppelin, "But tell me, you've had a chance to observe John Lumic more than most. What's your opinion?"

"He's very sharp, I'd say. Sharp as ever. Very clever man. Brilliant, in fact."

"Then, you don't think he's insane?"

"That's not the word I would've used, no."

"I see," the President nodded, turning to climb into the zeppelin as Pete followed.

~8~

Angel laughed as Mickey snuck yet _another_ glance at her. He'd been doing that for a while, just casually glancing at her, she'd catch him sometimes with this look that was a cross between confused and touched, it made her curious, "What is it?"

"I just…can't believe you wanted to go with ME," he shrugged, trying to play off how much it actually meant to him, "I mean Rose and you…"

"We're friends yeah, but YOU are my companion, I'm _always_ going to pick you," Angel said simply.

And she meant it.

He knew that.

Angel, he'd noticed, was the sort of person who said exactly what she thought and felt. It was highly amusing when her inner thoughts commented on some sort of situation or person, often she'd make a remark that left him in stitches while also having said it so innocently that the other person just couldn't be offended. Confused, yes, but not offended.

He grinned shyly, a warmth bubbling up in his chest at that, "I'll always pick you too, my pilot after all."

Angel smiled back at him, reaching out to link her arm with his, "You know…I've actually, wanted you to come on adventures since I met you."

He looked at her, shocked, "Really?"

"Yeah," she laughed just a bit, "I was actually torn when you didn't come back with Rose after the whole Margaret the Slitheen thing."

"Torn?"

She nodded, "Like I said, I _wanted_ you to come but…if you _had_ come, you would've been _the Doctor's_ companion and not _mine_ ," seeing his slightly confused look she explained, "The TARDIS will only respond to and protect those that the pilot trusts, their companions. I hadn't been bound to the TARDIS then so…"

He let out a little laugh, nudging her, "You REALLY wanted _me_ to be your companion _that_ badly hmm? Even over Captain Cheesecake?"

She laughed, "Of course!" she nudged him back, "I wanted YOU to be my first companion Mickey."

"Why?"

She smiled at him, "There's just...something about you Mickey Smith, something _special_."

His grin faded as he looked down, "I'm _not_ special…I'm just…an idiot."

"Oh I don't believe that for a moment!" she cheered, squeezing his arm with her other hand.

"But…" he sighed, not sure how to phrase it, "You and the Doctor…you're…brilliant."

"I suppose," she nodded, seeing where he was going, recalling a similar conversation she and the Doctor had had recently, "So what makes you think I'd _ever_ take anyone less than _fantastic_ as my companion?" Mickey looked at her, shocked at her implication, "I'm not quite sure what you are yet Mickey, but I can't wait to find out!"

He looked at her as she smiled at him, the warmth in his chest returning tenfold. He'd never really had anyone believe in him _that_ much, think HE was extraordinary. Plain old Mickey Smith he was. But the way Angel looked at him, included him, supported him, stuck with him… _believed_ in him…he could, for a moment, believe it too.

"Now, come on," she slipped her arm away from him, "Let's go meet your Gran!"

He blinked in surprise as she jogged off, "How did you…"

"Did you forget already?" she turned to him, walking backwards, "I'm psychic!" she winked playfully.

It wasn't _that_. She hadn't had any 'feelings' since they'd arrived in the parallel world, but, she remembered Mickey mentioning his departed Gran once or twice when they would talk. She was really the only person he'd had besides Rose...and Jackie...and well, Rose apparently didn't exist in this world so it was safe to assume the Jackie here wouldn't know who he was. That just left his Gran to check on, she could only hope the woman might still be alive in this world.

Mickey just looked at her, stunned, before laughing and running after her. He grabbed her around the middle, swinging her around before pulling her into a small headlock, noogying her head a moment as she laughed before pulling away. He laughed as she tried to pat down her hair, having to pull her clip out and redo it though she was smiling as she went, not at all cross that her hair had been messed up, when a thought suddenly struck him.

Angel _was_ psychic, she knew things before they happened, and…if _she_ felt like he was special and extraordinary and…and _worth something_ , then…maybe he was. Or at least he _would_ _be_ one day.

He smiled at her, reaching out to hug her to his side a moment before slipping his arm back through hers, the two of them walking on in companionable silence until they came to a stop at a military blockade down the road, "Can we pass?" Angel asked as a soldier walked up to them.

"Yeah," he nodded, "No bother. Curfew doesn't start 'til ten."

"There's a curfew?" Mickey frowned.

"Course there is. Where've you been living, mate? Up there with the toffs?"

They looked up at the zeppelins, "I wish," Mickey smiled, "See ya," they walked on, to another soldier who lifted the barrier for them.

~8~

Rose and the Doctor were walking down the street as Rose explained just where Mickey had run off to, "Mickey's mum just couldn't cope. His dad hung around for a while, but then he just sort of...wandered off. He was brought up by his Gran," she grinned, "She was _such_ a great woman. God, she used to _slap_ him!" she laughed a bit before sobering quickly, "And then she died. She tripped and fell down the stairs. It's about five years ago, now. I was still in school."

"I never knew," the Doctor mumbled.

"Well, you never asked."

"You never said!"

"Angel knew. He told her."

"He did?" the Doctor frowned. Why hadn't she told him? He shook his head, no, of course she wouldn't tell him, that was a very personal and private fact that Mickey had shared with her.

Rose shrugged, "That's Mickey. I s'pose I…we just...take him for granted and Angel didn't. Do you think she's still alive, his Gran?"

"Could be," the Doctor nodded, lost in thought, "Like I said, parallel world, gingerbread house. We need to get out of here as fast as we can."

A short alarm sounded and everyone around them froze in place, the duo looking around, very confused, "What're they all doing?"

"They've stopped…" the Doctor remarked, pausing beside a man and squinting at his ear-pods, "It's the earpieces...like Bluetooth attachments, but everyone's connected together."

Rose's phone beeped again and she pulled it out to look at it, "It's on my phone. It's automatic, look. It's downloading. Is this what they're all getting?" the Doctor looked at her phone over her shoulder, slipping his specs on as Rose scrolled down through the downloads, "News, international news, sports, weather..."

"They get it direct. Downloaded right into their heads."

"TV schedules, lottery numbers…"

"Everyone shares the same information," he took the phone from her and looked at it, "Daily download published by Cybus Industries," he watched as the update scrolled down to 'Joke.' Everyone around them started laughing before going on their way, as though that hadn't happened, "You lot, you're obsessed. You'd do anything for the latest upgrade."

"Oi...not _my_ lot. Different world, remember?"

"It's not SO far off your world. This place is only parallel," he tapped the phone and held it up, "Oh, look at that. Cybus Industries owns just about every company in Britain, including Vitex. Mr. Pete Tyler's VERY well connected," Rose didn't reply but just smiled up at him innocently, hope shining in her eyes. He sighed, handing her back the phone, "Oh, ok. I give up. Angel took Mickey to see his Gran, let's go and see your dad."

~8~

Mickey turned a corner to a rundown looking area, leading Angel across the street, slowing down as he they drew nearer to one particular door. He took a breath, looking at Angel who smiled excitedly at him, nodding encouragingly. He smiled a bit, squeezing the hand she'd taken in thanks for her support, glad he didn't have to face this alone, because if no one answered the door, he'd be crushed. He gathered his courage and sped up, knocking on the door.

"Who's that there?" an elderly woman shouted from inside. The door opened and there was Mickey's blind grandmother, Rita Anne, standing within, "Who is it? I _know_ you're there. Shame on you, tricking an old lady. I've got nothing worth stealing," she swung her cane at them, "And don't _think_ I'm gonna disappear! You're NOT gonna take ME."

"Hi," Mickey mumbled.

Rita stopped, "Is that you?"

"It's me. I came home."

"Ricky?" she reached out to touch his face.

"It's Mickey."

"Parallel world," Angel whispered a reminder, so quietly not even Rita could hear her.

"I know my own grandson's name," Rita continued, "It's _Ricky_. Now, come here," she reached out further and pulled him to her, hugging him tightly.

"Ok, I'm Ricky," he grinned, tears in his voice as he hugged her, "Of course I am. Ricky, that's me," suddenly he was shoved back and hit on the shoulder, repeatedly, "Ow!"

"You _stupid_ boy!" Rita shouted, smacking him again, "Where've you _been_?"

"Ow! Stop hitting me!"

"It's been days and _days_!" she kept on smacking him as Angel laughed silently, amused and slightly confused as to whether this was a normal way for humans to greet each other at times, "I keep hearing all these stories. People disappearing off the streets. There's nothing of it on the download," she pointed to her ear-pods, Angel suddenly frowning at them, "But there're all these rumors, and…and whispers. I thought that God had disappeared you!"

Mickey didn't respond, his attention drawn to the torn carpet on the stair behind her, "That carpet on the stairs, I told you to get it fixed, you're gonna…" his voice trembled as he closed his eyes, "Fall and break your neck."

Angel put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in comfort, knowing that that was how his grandmother had died, the guilt he felt about it. He put a hand on top of hers, returning the squeeze with one of thanks.

"Well, you get it fixed for me."

"I shoulda done way back," he nodded, "I guess I'm just kinda...useless."

Angel squeezed his shoulder again, though this time more of a pinch than anything. He looked at her and she gave him a warning look that clearly told him she'd do it again if he kept calling himself that.

"Now, I never said _that_ …"

"I _am_ , though," he choked up a bit, even as Angel rubbed his shoulder this time, "And I'm sorry, Gran. I'm _so_ sorry."

"Don't talk like that. Do you know what you need? A nice sit down and a cuppa tea. You got time?"

Mickey looked over at Angel, who just nodded with a comforting smile, "For you, I've got all the time in the world," he beamed.

This was _so_ like Angel. The Doctor would have them running off, probably not even realize how _important_ this was to him, but not Angel. Angel _knew_ him. They talked, a lot, he told her things he'd only ever told Rose because he just…he _trusted_ her. She made him feel like a part of the team, like she _cared_ , and she _did_. She'd let him sit there and have tea with his Gran to his heart's content, just to make him happy, and that meant more to him than she could possibly know that SOMEONE out there wanted to help him and see him happy. It was one of the reasons he stuck with her, sure he was her companion, but even more important, _she_ was _his_ _pilot_. He could see why Rose was so keen to help and protect the Doctor now, if he was even half the person Angel was then he would have been worth any terror or danger.

Rita laughed, pulling him from his thoughts, "You say that, but it's all talk. It's those new friends of yours. I don't trust them."

"What friends are they?" Mickey asked, frowning as he glanced at Angel, she was the only friend he could really say he had, at least in this world.

"Don't pretend you don't know. You've been seeing them. Mrs. Chan told me. Driving about all helter-skelter, in that van."

"What van's that, then?"

"You know _full_ well! Don't play games with _me_. Get inside!"

Suddenly a bright blue van pulled up behind them, the young man from the scrap yard jumping out and pulling Mickey and Angel into it, "I've been looking for you everywhere!" he shoved the door shut and the van drove off, leaving a rather startled Rita shouting after them, "Ricky, _you_ were the one who told _us_ , you _don't_ contact your family 'cos it puts them in _danger_!"

"Yeah," Mickey said slowly, not sure what was going on, "Ricky said that. Course I did, just testing."

"Who's she?" the man asked, eyeing Angel.

"I'm Angel," she smiled, reaching out to shake his hand as the man stared at her, confused, "Nice to meet you."

"She's with me," Mickey added quickly, clearly this Ricky was in charge and he wasn't about to let them toss Angel out.

The man nodded, accepting that, before turning back to him, "I saw them. I _taped_ them! They went round Black Friars gathering up the homeless like a child-catcher. They must've took four dozen."

"The vans were hired out to a company called 'International Electromatics,'" a blonde woman who was driving called back to them, "But I did a protocol search...turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who?"

"Who?" Angel asked.

"Cybus Industries!" they shouted.

"And now we've got evidence!" the man smiled at the woman driving.

"Bad news is, they've arrested Thin Jimmy," the woman replied, "So that just leaves you."

"Leaves me...what?" Mickey shook his head.

"The Number One," the man grinned, "Top of the list. London's Most Wanted."

"Ok, cool," he nodded, before it hit him, "Say that again?"

"You're London's Most Wanted," Angel repeated.

Mickey shot her a small smile, "Thanks."

~8~

Lumic sat in his zeppelin, showing Pete and the President a presentation of his invention, diagrams demonstrating as he spoke, "The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain, and yet we allow it to die. But now Cybus Industries has perfected a way of sustaining the brain indefinitely within a cradle of copyrighted chemicals. And the latest advances in synapse research allows cyber-kinetic impulses to be bonded onto a metal exoskeleton. This is the ultimate upgrade. Our greatest step into cyberspace..."

"I'm sorry," the President cut in, "Could we stop it there?" Lumic wrenched the breathing apparatus from his face, affronted, "I _don't_ need the pitch. I think we all know what this 'ultimate upgrade' entails. And I'm here to tell you, John, the answer is no," Lumic grunted, "My government does _not_ give you permission," he stood up, "And I think no government _ever_ will."

"I prepared a paper for the ethical committee."

"Oh, come on," the President turned to leave, "It's not just unethical. It's _obscene_."

"Mr. President...if I might make a personal plea. I am _dying_ , sir."

"I'm aware of that. And I'm very sorry."

"Without this project, you have condemned me. My inventions have advanced. This whole planet...would you have all that perish?"

"You're a fine businessman, John. But you're _not_ God. I'm really _very_ sorry, but I think we should end it there. Mr. Tyler, I'll see you tonight," Pete nodded, "I think we could all do with a drink. Mr. Lumic," he turned to leave as Lumic watched, horror struck.

"Still, it's not the _only_ country in the world," Pete turned to Lumic reassuringly, "There's always New Germany."

" _This_ is the homeland," Lumic shook his head, "My birthplace. You may leave."

"Thank you, sir," Pete stood and left, leaving Lumic alone.

"Mr. Crane?" Lumic called, turning to the monitor.

"Ready and waiting, sir," Crane appeared on screen.

"Did the override work?"

"Well, needs a bit of fine-tuning, we weren't exactly delicate given the rush, but er, yeah. Yeah. It's all working," he turned and walked away from the computer, another screen flashing on to show him standing across from a row of homeless men, "I've been testing the system, sir," he gestured to the men standing still, dazed, ear-pods in both ears, "They've grafted on a treat, these have. Given a little persuasion. If you care to observe, sir..." he pressed a remote control, "And turn to the right..." the men did, "...and back to the left..." and again they obeyed.

"Are you having fun, Mr. Crane?" Lumic demanded coldly.

"Oh, no, no, not at all, sir, no," Crane said sheepishly, "It's just, well, it's er...irresistible."

"Then _resist_. And start the upgrade."

"Did we get permission?"

"I am governed by greater laws, old friend. The right of a man to _survive_. Now, begin!"

~8~

The screen went to static as Crane turned back to the men, "And turn to the left..." the men turned, "...forward march," the men marched forward, through a door that was held open by a staff member, to an area glowing red. As they entered, disappearing from sight, screams resounded, "Oh _,_ whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's cover up that noise. Er...give us...track number 19."

A technician obliged and 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' began to blare over the speakers as the machine worked on upgrading the men, blades swopping down on them, the music just _barely_ covering their screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angel chose Mickey! :) Aww. Well, as she said, he is HER companion :) I always wanted someone to pick Mickey. Their relationship will impact him for a while to come. I like the idea of her having wanted HIM to be her first companion from the moment they met even if she doesn't know why. He deserves some love :) Speaking of love, how adorable are the Doctor and Angel? Didn't I promise fluff to come :)


	21. Rise of the Cybermen: An Old Enemy

The blue van pulled up outside an old house, the young man, Jake, as he'd later introduced himself to Angel, getting out first, frowning when he caught sight of something odd, "There's a _light_ on. There's someone inside the base," Mickey and Angel clambered out to see the light on as well, the faint glow shining through one of the windows, "Mrs. Moore, we've got visitors."

Mrs. Moore nodded, moving to his side as they quickly snuck down along the side of the house, trying to be as quiet as they could. Angel and Mickey exchanged a look before following them, the human pair with guns at the ready, moving to crouch down outside a door.

Jake turned to Mrs. Moore, whispering as he counted on his fingers, "One...two...three...go!"

They burst into the house, Mrs. Moore and Jake pointing their guns, only to see a man who looked _just like_ Mickey, clearly Ricky, standing inside.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ricky glared at them.

Mrs. Moore and Jake just looked between him and Mickey, completely astounded, "What're you doing there?!" Jake called to Ricky.

"What am I doing HERE?" Ricky asked, walking forwards, "What am I doing THERE?" he pointed at Mickey.

Jake and Mrs. Moore quickly turned their guns on him and Angel, Mickey immediately taking a step in front of Angel, pushing her behind him.

He'd promised the Doctor he'd protect her.

What's more, he promised _himself_ he'd protect her too.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

~8~

The Doctor and Rose hid in some bushes outside the Tyler Mansion, watching as quite a few expensive cars pulled up, "They've got visitors," the Doctor remarked, pouting a little as he watched person after person amble into the building. Angel would have loved to be there, she loved meeting new people, always found them fascinating. And, just looking at how these men and women were dressed, the semi-snooty expressions on some of their faces, he could tell Angel would have probably given some of them one of her 'comments' or asked them something that would have them huffing off while she just pouted her adorable confused pout as they chuckled quietly beside her, never laughing at her, but more at the others who would storm off.

Once you got used to Angel's questions and comments, it was far more entertaining and truly thought-provoking than offensive.

Though...it was more than that though, he _missed_ her. Already. It had only been an hour or two at the most and he already wanted to drag Rose back to the main part of town and find Angel. He blinked, realizing something. He and Angel had never been separated for this long before...not ever really. Ever since she'd joined them on their adventures, even before he'd regenerated, he hadn't ever let her wander too far away from him. Sure, there were times where she would suddenly rush off, but he always followed. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she'd only ever left his side a handful of times by choice, and only for a few minutes, ten at most, and only once by force, when they'd been separated on the Game Station. He didn't count the time he'd been attacked by the Reapers as he truly couldn't remember it. To him he'd just disappeared and reappeared a short time later.

He really missed her.

It just...didn't feel right to be without her, not anymore. He missed holding her hand, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, just the little things. And, while he knew they'd see Angel and Mickey soon, only 24 hours at the absolute most, he just couldn't help but wish she was there with him. As she should always be, with him, like he should be with her.

"February the 1st, mum's birthday," Rose murmured, pulling him from his thoughts, "Even in a parallel Universe, she still loves a party."

"Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look," he admitted, shaking his head to gather his focus, "And there is one guaranteed way of getting inside," he held up the psychic paper.

"Psychic paper!" she squealed excitedly.

"Who do you wanna be?"

~8~

Several waiters stepped out of the kitchen of the Tyler residence with refreshments, the Doctor and Rose among them, dressed in the same black uniforms. A woman took some food from Rose's plate and walked off, Rose smiling politely at her, "We could've been _anyone_ ," Rose remarked quietly to him.

"Got us in, didn't it?" the Doctor countered.

"You're in charge of the psychic paper. We could've been guests. Celebrities. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. I had enough of this back home," they both smiled politely as guests took some items off their trays.

"If you wanna know what's going on, work in the kitchens," the Doctor argued, "Worked with the Krillitanes didn't it?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "That's only because Angel suggested we start there," she reminded him, "As I recall, she got that expression about the way to someone's heart being through their stomach mixed up and thought the kitchen was the heart of the school."

"Still," he had to smile at that, Angel had gotten much better at her expressions, but some still escaped her, "She was right."

Rose nodded, "When is she wrong?" she countered as they moved slightly to the side of the room, watching as people chatted and laughed.

"According to Lucy, that man over there…" the Doctor began, nodding at the President.

"Who's Lucy?" Rose turned to him sharply, a frown on her face.

"She's carrying the salmon pinwheels," he replied, pointing to the young woman and her tray.

"Oh, _that's_ Lucy, is it?" Rose narrowed her eyes at the girl. As Angel's best friend and psuedo-adopted younger sister, it was her duty to keep an eye out from other women when Angel wasn't with the Doctor.

She and Angel had talked, a lot, about what happened with Reinette, what the girl had felt seeing the Doctor interacting with and praising the woman. She'd nearly smacked herself for being so daft as to think anything between her and Angel would change just because Mickey was her official companion. Angel still came to her to talk about things the men wouldn't understand, still asked her to explain expressions and other cultural norms that humans shared. They still joked and laughed and spent time together, actually even more than before. She'd listened to Angel speak of how she'd felt hurt that the Doctor had complimented Reinette having only just met her, how she'd worried the woman might make the Doctor regret asking her to Mate (she still giggled at the word despite the fact that both Angel and the Doctor had explained what it meant in the context of their people), and she'd listened to Angel speak of her own insecurities. It really made her feel special that SHE had been able to reassure Angel of the Doctor's affections, talk to her, encourage her to talk to the Doctor about it. Angel was always making sure she was alright, it was nice to be able to return the favor. Angel had seemed much more thoughtful as she'd left her room that night to work on the console, and ever since then she'd noticed a change and a closeness between the Doctor and Angel that clearly made the two of them very happy.

"...yeah," the Doctor nodded, not seeming to notice Rose's intentions, "Lucy says, that is the President of Great Britain."

"What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?"

"Seems so."

"Or maybe Lucy's just a bit thick."

"Excuse me!" they heard Pete call out, following the crowd to see him standing on the stairs, "Thank you very much. Thank you, if I could just have your attention, please?"

"Pete!" a man shouted, "Go on, Pete!"

"Thank you very much!" Pete grinned.

"It's about time you did some work. I thought you liked them young!"

"Um, I'd just like to say, er, thank you to you all, for coming on this er, this very special occasion," Pete began as Rose watched him, "My wife's...39th..." the crowd chortled at that, "Trust me on this…" he gave them a thumbs up and a wink, earning a laugh, "So, without any further ado, here she is. The birthday girl...my lovely wife...Jackie Tyler."

Rose leaned over for a look as the Doctor eyed her, concerned. He knew that, though Rose didn't seem to realize it at the moment, it would be hard to have Jackie, the woman she saw and knew as her mother, speak and look at her as though she didn't know who on Earth Rose was. He could only hope that Rose wouldn't get the chance to have a one-on-one chat with the woman, hoping the guests would keep Jackie occupied. Rose would want to talk to her mother, and 'her mother' wouldn't have a clue who the girl was, nor would she probably care. And he knew, that would hurt Rose badly. He knew from past experience, it always hurt to have someone you cared about look at you as though they'd never seen you before, to have someone forget you, because they must.

The crowd cheered and snapped photos as an elegantly dressed Jackie stepped down the staircase, smiling as them, "Now, I'm not giving a speech, that's what my parties are famous for, no work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black-market whiskey," she announced as the crowd laughed, "Pardon me, Mr. President!" she smiled at him, "So, yeah! Get on with it, enjoy, enjoy."

The crowd cheered as Pete took Jackie's hand and they moved down the rest of the stairs to greet their friends.

"You can't stay," the Doctor reminded Rose softly, "Even if there was some way of telling them."

"Course I can't," she nodded, though a bit distracted, "I've still got my mum at home, my _real_ mum. I couldn't just leave her, could I? It's just...they've got each other. Mum's got no one."

"She's got you! Those two haven't!" he huffed, "All these different worlds, not one of them gets it right."

"Rose!" Jackie called as something barked, "There's my little girl!" the yorkie scampered over to Jackie who scooped her into her arms, "Come to mummy, come to mummy! Yes, good girl! Good girl, aren't you?"

Rose's mouth dropped open at the sight, the Doctor taking one look at her expression before laughing.

He stopped quickly as she shot him a dirty look, "Sorry."

~8~

Crane walked outside the factory, a metallic voice ringing out as the newly created robots marched past in an orderly line, "Platoon now boarding," a robotic voice stated, "Platoon 0-L-2 boarding."

"Stop staring," Crane scolded a man watching the metallic men walk by.

"Who are they, sir?" the man breathed.

"I'm told they're the future. Ain't technology wonderful? Go on, get in the cab. Start her up."

"Sir," the man nodded, going to do that, happy to be away from the metal men.

"Mr. Crane, are we mobile?" Lumic's voice rang over the ear-pod.

"Just about in the road, sir," Crane replied, "And yourself?"

"I'm arriving, Mr. Crane. Prepare the factory," Crane looked up to see Lumic's zeppelin coming in, "Now, send them forth, old friend. Let the good work begin."

~8~

Jake, Ricky, and Mrs. Moore stripped Mickey to his boxers, tying him to a chair as Angel, fully clothed, sat at another chair, tied to that as well, looking away to offer Mickey some form of dignity and privacy. Jake crouched by Mickey's side, scanning him with some sort of device, the results filtering through to Mrs. Moore's laptop, "He's clean," Jake told Ricky, "No bugs."

"But this is off the scale," Ricky remarked, eyeing Mickey, "He's flesh and blood, how did that _happen_?"

"Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning..." Mrs. Moore shrugged, "Or your father had a bike?"

Ricky's gaze narrowed on Mickey as he circled him menacingly, "Your name is Mickey, not Ricky?"

"Mickey," he swallowed hard, "Dad was Jackson Smith. Used to work at the key cutters in Cliffton's Parade. Went to Spain, never came back."

Ricky leaned closer to him, "But that's MY dad. So...we're brothers?"

"Be fair," Jake called, "What else could it be?"

"I don't know. But he doesn't just _look_ like me, he is _exactly_ the same. There's something else going on here, Jake."

"You're twins," Angel called out, trying to cover for them, give the humans a believable explanation. She knew what could happen if humans learned about time and space travel before they were ready, she'd seen it in Adam, they became greedy, sometimes violent in their quest to obtain it. And, while she doubted Mickey's double could ever be so, she was extremely protective of the old box, "Only explanation," she added when Ricky glanced at her, "Separation at birth."

"So, who are you lot?" Mickey cut in, trying to get their attention off Angel. He'd promised the Doctor, hell he'd promised _himself_ , he'd take care of her, bang up job he was doing so far.

"We…we are the Preachers," Ricky stood tall, "As in Gospel Truth. You see?" he pointed to his ears, "No ear plugs. While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we…WE have got freedom. You're talking to London's Most Wanted. But target Number One is Lumic, and we ARE going to bring him down."

"From your kitchen?"

"Have you got a problem with that?"

"No, it's a good kitchen."

"I like kitchens," Angel added, nodding, "Not cooking in them though. I've been told I'm not allowed within five feet of a stove anymore."

Ricky just shook his head at her, not really sure how to responed, when the laptop beeped.

"It's an upload from Gemini!" Mrs. Moore exclaimed.

"The constellation?" Angel asked, "You can talk to the stars on that?"

"I think it's a code name," Mickey supplied, seeing her confused expression.

"Oh," she nodded, that made much more sense.

"The vans are back," Mrs. Moore reported, "They're moving out of Battersea. Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move."

"And we are right behind him," Ricky smirked, "Pack up, we're leaving. Take those two with you," he added before heading out the door.

~8~

A huge lorry from Cybus Industries drove past a dark road. The Preacher's van pulling out of the shadows after it drove past. Ricky was driving, Jake and Mrs. Moore in the back, loading their guns.

Mickey looked on uneasily before glancing at Angel to see her clutching the power cell in her hand. He knew she wasn't very comfortable around guns, around weapons really, she and the Doctor seemed to have that in common. He'd asked her why once, an adventure or two ago, she'd just said that weapons took a little piece of you when you used them, especially to hurt someone else and she just didn't feel comfortable with them, not even during the War. He reached over and put his hand over hers, offering the comfort she so often offered him, small though it was as he wasn't the Doctor. The resulting smile put one on his face as well, he was proud he'd managed to at least comfort her even by a little.

~8~

The Doctor slipped away from the crowds in the mansion, walking down a corridor, past a darkened room where the door was open slightly. He stepped back, seeing a laptop open on the desk inside. He glanced back and snuck into the room, closing the door behind him. He pulled on his glasses and got to work.

~8~

Rose watched as Jackie chatted with the President, laughing at a joke, when Pete appeared next to her, "I remember her 21st," he commented, "Pint of cider in the George."

"Sorry, champagne?" she offered the tray, trying her best not to stare at him.

He picked up a glass, "Might as well. I'm paying for it!" he laughed.

"It's a big night for you…"

"Well, for _her_...still, she's happy."

"Yeah, she should be. It's a great party."

"Do you think?"

She gave him a thumbs up and a grin, "You can trust me..."

"You can trust me on THIS," he corrected her jokingly, winking with his own thumbs up.

"That's it, sorry, yeah!" she laughed, "So, um, how long have you two been married?"

"Twenty years."

"And no kids, or..."

"We kept putting it off," he sighed, "She said she didn't wanna spoil her figure."

"It's not too late. She's only 40."

"39."

"Oh, right, _39_!" she chuckled a bit.

"It's still too late..." he shook his head and she could see the sadness in him, "I moved out last month. We're gonna keep it quiet, you know, it's bad for business," Rose's smile faded as she nodded, "Why am I telling YOU all this? We haven't met before, have we?" Rose stared at him as he did her, "I dunno, you just seem sort of…"

"What?" she breathed, recalling the last time she'd seen her father, the connection he'd felt with her even then.

Pete eyed her a moment, unable to put his finger on it, "I dunno, just sort of...right," he quickly stepped away, growing uncomfortable, "Stevey, how's things? How's it going at Torchwood?"

Rose watched him go sadly.

~8~

Ricky and Jake crouched out in some bushes, but talking to Mickey, Angel, and Mrs. Moore as they sat in the car, waiting, "I don't know what they're doing," Ricky's voice came over the comm., "But they seem to be the target. Big house, fair bit of money...now we've got to find a way to get in."

"The front door is usually the best way into a house and the most polite," Angel remarked, "You just go up and knock, or ring the bell, or sometimes there's a knocker, which helps because your knuckles might hurt a little when..."

"I think he meant _sneaking_ into the house," Mickey told her quietly with a smile.

"Right," she laughed a little at herself.

"I've identified the address," Mrs. Moore continued, ignoring them for a moment, "It belongs to Peter Tyler. The Vitex millionaire."

"Pete Tyler?" Angel's eyes widened as she looked over at the house, just _knowing_ the Doctor and Rose were inside. It would only be a matter of time before Rose figured out where Mickey had gone, where she'd let Mickey go, and convince the Doctor to do the same for her, see a 'dead' loved one.

"He's listed as one of Lumic's henchmen. A traitor to the state."

"But...but...we've gotta get in there!" Mickey shouted, clearly making the same connection Angel had.

"Now, shut it duplicate, that's what I _just_ said," Ricky called before the sound of heavy footsteps marched in the distance, "What're they doing..."

Angel's eyes widened at the all too familiar sound, her hearts stopping in her chest as she clutched the power cell so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"What the hell are _they_?"

"Get out of there!" Angel leaned forward and pressed the comm., "Just get out! Quickly!"

Mickey looked back at her, concerned, as she moved back into her seat, closing her eyes and scrunching up her face in extreme concentration, pressing her fists to the sides of her head. She and the Doctor had been working on establishing a mental bond, one that would allow them to read each other's minds with ease. It was turning out to be a bit difficult as it seemed her time with the mental dampener had left an impression on her mind. When she'd regenerated her mind had automatically quieted and guarded her thoughts, making it difficult to lower her mental shields and let someone in, but they were getting there, slowly but surely.

She could only hope the Doctor would hear her calls of warning.

~8~

The Doctor watched the presentation of Lumic's play out on the laptop, "The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain..." Lumic spoke as the demonstration began, a slight itching in the back of his mind telling him he wouldn't like what he had found.

~8~

Jackie sat alone, just outside the mansion, on the porch. Rose spotted her through the window and followed her outside, "Mrs. Tyler, is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

"The last twenty years back," Jackie laughed tiredly.

Rose smiled, uncertain of how to respond to that, "I can manage a glass of champagne...or a nice cup of tea?"

"Oh, that'd do me!" Jackie smiled as they laughed.

Rose sat down beside her, "My mum loves that. End of a long night, she never goes straight to bed, she always stays up just to have that last cup of tea."

"Oh, I'm the same!"

"Two sugars..."

"And me," Jackie laughed, "Pete always says, you know..." she stopped suddenly, shaking her head, "...ah, never mind him."

"I was talking to him earlier. He's a nice man. You know, bit of a Jack the Lad I s'pose, even if he _has_ got money, but...he's a _good_ bloke. Better than most," she glanced at Jackie a moment, "He's worth a second chance."

Jackie turned to her sharply, "Are _you_ commenting on _my_ marriage?" she asked coldly.

"No, I was just…"

"Who _the hell_ do you think you _are_?" Jackie glared, "You're _staff_! You're _nothing_ but staff, you're just the _serving girl_ , for God's sake," Rose looked away, hurt, hearing the woma she recognized as her mother speaking to her in such a way, "And you are certainly _not_ getting paid. Don't you _dare_ talk to me!" she stood up and stormed back inside, leaving Rose alone on the bench, upset.

Suddenly a floodlight snapped on, making Rose squint through it to see figures approaching, with a boom of their steps.

~8~

"This is the _ultimate_ upgrade," Lumic's voice finished, "Our _greatest_ step into cyberspace."

The Doctor looked horrified, seeing the finished product of Lumic's invention, the metal men that were the houses for the removed human brain, "Cybers…" he gasped.

The itch in the back of his mind had become a dull throb now, nagging him to get out. He ran out of the room and through the partygoers to see Rose come in from the porch and head to the window. He ran to her, looking out, pressing his face against the glass to see robotic, metallic men approaching.

"It's happening again," he breathed, his eyes wide, his mind already drifting back to the times he'd faced this very same enemy in the past, knowing full well what they were capable of and what they would do to the humans.

"What do you mean?" Rose frowned.

"I've seen them before."

"What are they?"

"Cybermen," he swallowed hard.

Cybermen were approaching the house…

Cybermen were _outside_ …

Where _Angel_ was…

His hearts stopped. He had to get out there! He had to find her! He had to get her away from the threat of the Cybers and...

Suddenly a number of the Cybers shoved their fists through the window, striding into the house, forcing the guests back till they were cowering in the back of the room, no way out, the Doctor and Rose among them.

The President tapped his ear-pod as it beeped, "Mr. Lumic."

"Mr. President," everyone could hear Lumic reply, "I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point," he gave a sick-sounding chuckle.

"I _forbade_ this."

"These are my children, sir. Would you deny my family?"

"What are they?" Rose turned to the Doctor, "Robots?"

" _Worse_ than that," he shook his head, looking around the room, trying to see if there was anyway to escape, to make it past the robots, to get out...

"Who were these people?" the President asked.

"Doesn't matter," Lumic spat.

"They're _people_?" Rose gasped.

"They _were_ ," the Doctor nodded, "Until they had all their humanity taken away. It's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body. With a heart of steel. All emotions removed."

"Why no emotions?"

"Because it hurts."

"I demand to know, Lumic, these people, who were they?" the President shouted.

"They were homeless, wretched, and useless until _I_ saved them," Lumic stated, "And elevated them. And gave them life-eternal. And now, I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Mr. President."

He hung up as one of the Cybermen stepped forward, "We have been upgraded."

"Into what?" the Doctor asked.

"The next level of mankind. We are Human-Point-Two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us."

"I'm sorry," the President stepped up to the Cyberman, "I'm so sorry for what's been done to you. But listen to me, this experiment ends. Tonight."

"Upgrading is compulsory."

"And if I refuse?"

"Don't!" the Doctor called, jolting, refusing would set the Cybers off on an attack, it would cause chaos and, while that would be the perfect opportunity to escape, it would also put the Cybers on higher alert and make it much more difficult to do so.

"What if I refuse?"

"I'm telling you, _don't_."

"What happens if I refuse?"

"Then you are not compatible," it replied.

"What happens then?"

"You will be deleted," the Cyberman suddenly grabbed the President's shoulder, electrocuting him.

The crowd screamed and started to run.

"Jackie?!" Pete shouted, trying to get through to Jackie but there was too much chaos.

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her through one of the broken windows and outside, "There's nothing we can do!"

Rose pulled away, trying to get back in, "My mum's in there!"

The Doctor just pulled her away again, "She's not your mother! Come on!"

They ran for a small hill in the backyard, stopping when a row of Cybers appeared in the distance. They spun around and ran back to the side of the house as Pete jumped out the window.

"Quick!" Rose called to him, "Quick!"

He ran after them.

~8~

Jackie shrieked as a Cyberman spotted her, running down a corridor, pursued by them, till she turned and ran down the stairs into the cellar.

But the Cyberman followed.

~8~

"Pete, is there no way out?" the Doctor shouted as they reached the front of the house, he _needed_ to get out. He had to find Angel!

"The side gate," Pete called, leading them over to it, "Who are you? How do you know so much?"

"You wouldn't believe it in a million years…" the Doctor started. They stopped quickly as another row of Cybermen appeared. They turned and ran to the back of the house as two figures ran at them with guns.

"Who's that?!" Rose squinted, a light shining behind the men, making it hard to see.

"Get behind me!" Ricky ordered.

The group ran behind Ricky and Jake as they fired at the Cybers, forcing them to stop.

Rose ran up to Ricky, "Oh my God, look at you..." she hugged him tightly, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Ricky pulled back, "Yeah, no offense sweetheart, but who the hell are _you_?"

"Rose!" Mickey shouted, dashing down the hill with Angel behind him, the girl half-leaping into the Doctor's arms as he pulled her into a tight, relieved hug, "That's not me. That's like...the other one."

"Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, there's _two_ Mickeys," the Doctor remarked.

"Oi!" Angel nudged him, stepping back out of his arms, "You're just jealous that I've technically got _two_ equally handsome _companions_ now."

"Handsome?" the Doctor shouted, mock cross, at the same time as Mickey beamed at her compliment with a "Thanks!"

"Handsome?" the Doctor repeated, pouting at Angel.

"And one _very_ handsome Mate," she added, making him beam.

Ricky, more than a little confused, just chose to introduce himself, "It's Ricky."

"But there's more of them…" Mickey pointed at the Cybers.

They looked around to see the Cybermen moving to stand around them.

"We're surrounded..." Angel gasped, grabbing the Doctor's hand in her own, needing the comfort she always felt when she was around him. The Cybermen...she couldn't...she just...not _them_. _Anyone_ but them.

"Put the guns down," the Doctor said as Ricky raised his gun, "Bullets won't stop them," Jake ignored him and fired a rally. The Doctor pushed the gun down with his free hand, not about to let go of Angel's hand even if he could get out of her death grip, "No! Stop shooting, now!" he straightened and turned to the Cybers, "We surrender! Hands up..." he put his hands up with Angel's as did everyone else, "...there's no need to damage us, we're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed."

"You are rogue elements," a Cyberman stated.

"But we surrender."

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender!"

"You will be deleted."

"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, _we surrender_!"

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion," it raised its arm as did the others, "Delete. Delete! DELETE!"

To be continued…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm...I never did tell you which 'enemies' attacked the shuttle Angel's mother was a part of did I? -evil smirk-


	22. Age of Steel: Programming

The Cybermen surrounded them, all reaching out, crying "Delete!"

When Angel suddenly pointed the power cell at the metal men, expelling a shot of golden light, bounding off one of them and onto the others, incapacitating them. The humans, well, Rose and Mickey, looked at her, a bit shocked she had openly attacked the Cybers, they hadn't ever really seen Angel willingly try to harm anyone in such a way. And there she was, knowing full well that the Cybermen had been human at one point yet still firing that blast at them. It was alarming because...it was just so unlike her.

The Doctor, though, knew it was nothing of the sort, it wasn't an attack, per say, not _really_. The power cell wasn't a lethal weapon, it wasn't going to kill or destroy the robots or the human brains within them. It was just as it said on the tin, a power cell, a cell that stored power an energy. All that a blast from it could do would be to create a small surge of power within them, overpowering the Cybers' systems for a few moments, freeze them so to speak, so that the humans could escape.

He knew her, she couldn't and wouldn't ever harm another being, not even Cybers.

"What the hell was that?" Ricky demanded, spinning around to face Angel.

The Doctor glanced at Angel as well, shifting when he saw an odd expression on her face, a cross between fear and... _anger_ …almost borderline hate. He didn't like it. That expression on her face just seemed so... _wrong_. Angel wasn't meant to be hateful, she was, well, an angel really.

He knew, very well, that Angel _wasn't_ perfect. As she had said before when they'd discussed Reinette, she didn't have very many talents, wasn't quite so accomplished, he knew she couldn't cook, she didn't understand humans much, and she sometimes had a hard time keeping up with things that he knew every Time Lord had learned in the Academy. But...he loved that about her. It made her so... _real_. He didn't want a perfect doll, he wanted someone with flaws that he could watch as they grew, as they dealt with them, as they left them be. It wasn't perfections that made someone attractive, if everyone was perfect they'd be so dull! It was their flaws that made them unique, and Angel was by far the most unique person he'd ever met.

He could tell though, that she saw her flaws and imperfections as the reason why she, in her mind, wasn't good enough for him. Mad she was. He, on the other hand, believed whole heartedly that it was BECAUSE of those imperfections and flaws that he loved her so much. He loved her flaws and quirks, they made her who she was.

She wasn't perfect so he knew she could feel hate and anger and fear, but...to know she felt them about the Cybers...he wanted to help her. He _never_ wanted her to be afraid, not when he was there to protect her, he never wanted her to be angry or hateful, he just...he wanted her happy and smiling and laughing. If anyone was going to be fearful, or angry, or hateful, it would be _him_ and it would be directed at the thing that had made HER feel that way in the first place.

Looking at her now, seeing that expression on her face, like she actually WANTED to hurt the Cybermen, broke his hearts, because she really was just so sweet and good-natured, he didn't want her to lose that out of anger and hate. He didn't want it to corrupt her like it had him.

He quickly took her hand, needing to offer her support, needing to pull her attention away from the Cybers, actually...needing to get her _away_ from the Cybers now that he thought about it, get them ALL away, "Well how 'bout instead, RUN!"

They bolted right as Mrs. Moore drove up in the blue van, "Everybody in!"

Pete turned, needing to get back inside, but the Doctor grabbed his arm, "I've gotta go back, my wife's in there!" Pete struggled against the Doctor's grip.

"Everyone in there is already dead," Angel said quietly, a hint of bitterness in her voice, "The Cybermen just kill _everything_ they encounter. They don't care about _anyone_ else."

"If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing," the Doctor added, squeezing Angel's hand, growing even more worried, "You've gotta come with us right now."

Pete nodded and hurried back to the van as Mrs. Moore shouted, "Come on, get a move on!"

"Rose," the Doctor said, seeing Rose staring at the house as well, "She's _not_ your mother."

"I know," she nodded, but made no move to turn away.

"Come on," Angel called, reaching out to take her hand, "We need to go! Now!"

The three ran back to the van, hopping in.

"Finished chatting?!" Mrs. Moore muttered, "Never seen a slower getaway in my life!"

They drove off, a line of Cybermen, their systems now restored, marching after them.

~8~

Jackie peeked out of a crack in the door, seeing Cybermen walking around the basement. One walked away from her and she let out a breath of relief at seeing it leaving...when another stepped out of a doorway just before her. She gasped and withdrew, but it heard her nonetheless.

~8~

Ricky, Jake, and Mrs. Moore were in the front of the van as the woman drove, the men looking at the group seated in the back, "What was that thing?" Ricky looked at the power cell clutched firmly in Angel's hand.

The Doctor paused a moment, waiting for Angel to answer, because the power cell was a part of the TARDIS and he knew how much she loved it when she got to talk about that old box. But she was silent, sitting, staring, not even _blinking_ though he could see the faint hint of tears in her eyes.

"Little bit of technology from our home," the Doctor mumbled, his gaze locked on Angel as he held her other hand, concerned. She was just staring into space, pale, frowning, _distant_. He'd tried to touch her mind, to see what she was thinking, what was bothering her, but he couldn't really grasp much of anything. They'd only just started working on the bond after all, at most they could feel a small prick in their minds signaling that the other was attempting to connect, but he'd run into a wall. Her mind was stronger than it should have been because of Van Statten's device. Getting her to weaken her mental walls enough to forge the connection was difficult, and now, with her mind drifting, she didn't even seem like she was aware he was even trying to connect to her mind at all.

"It's stopped glowing," Mickey frowned, "Has it run out?"

"Revitalizing loop," Angel mumbled quietly, pulling her attention away from the fascintaing paint-peeling wall of the van to look down at it, not even seeming to notice the Doctor beside her, or where she was in fact, which made the man in question frown just a bit at how she'd reacted to Mickey's question and not his own words, "Four hours and it'll charge up again."

"Right," Ricky rolled his eyes, "So, we don't have a weapon anymore."

"Yeah, we've got weapons," Jake countered, "Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like _him_ ," he looked pointedly at Pete.

"Leave him alone!" Rose glared, immediately defensive of her father, "What's _he_ done wrong?"

"Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government. And left Lumic in charge."

"If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave _my wife_ inside?" Pete frowned.

"Maybe your plan went wrong," Ricky argued, "Still gives us the right to execute you though."

"Talk about executions, you'll make ME your enemy," the Doctor said, turning to face the men, "And take some really good advice, you _don't_ wanna do that," he squeezed Angel's hand, half expecting her to leap to Pete's defense as well, but she barely seemed to notice what the discussion around her was about, still staring at the power cell, lost in her thoughts.

Whatever the Cybermen meant to her, it was truly hurting her.

"All the same...we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since 20.5."

"Is that true?" Rose asked him quietly.

Pete was silent.

"Tell 'em, Mrs. M."

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information," she reported, "Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week."

"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete looked up.

"And how do _you_ know _that_?" Ricky glared at him.

" _I'm_ Gemini. That's ME."

"Yeah, well you _would_ say that."

"Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine," Pete replied as Ricky and Jake shared a look, "That's the _only_ reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services, and what do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van!"

The Doctor frowned, watching Angel. Right about now she'd make some sort of comment about how that little puppy of Jackie's should have been called 'Scrappy' instead of 'Rose,' the others would stare at how she knew about the dog when she hadn't even been there, and she'd just smile. He'd call her psychic, she'd call him a thief, and she'd laugh that beautiful laugh which always left him smiling, the tension broken if for a bit.

But Angel hadn't even looked up.

"No, no, no!" Mickey shook his head, "But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted!"

"Yeah, that's not exactly..." Ricky began, shifting a bit at having to admit this.

"Not exactly what?"

"I'm London's Most Wanted…for parking tickets."

The Doctor smiled, seeing Angel smile at that, finally seeming to start coming out of her thoughts, whatever they might have been, while Rose looked at them incredulous.

"Great," Pete rolled his eyes.

"They were _deliberate_! I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me."

"Good policy," the Doctor nodded, though his attention never drifted from Angel, seeing her look away from the cell and back up, breathing a small sigh of relief to see her thoughts seemed to have settled for now, "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested..."

"I'm Angel," Angel introduced, "Nice to meet you."

The Doctor started to smile at that, hearing her saying her typical 'nice to meet you' greeting. _There_ was his Angel.

"And I'm Rose," Rose smiled, "Hello!"

"Even better," Pete remarked, "That's the name of my dog. Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side."

"I knew you weren't a traitor."

"Me too," Angel added.

"Why's that, then?" Pete glanced between them.

Rose looked over at the Doctor and Angel who were watching her, Angel concerned, the Doctor warningly, "I just did."

"And she's psychic," the Doctor added, squeezing Angel's hand again.

"And you're a thief," she countered lightly, nudging him in the side, making him smile wider, she was getting there, back to her old self.

"They took my wife," Pete shook his head.

"She might still be alive," Rose tried to comfort him.

"That's even worse. 'Cos that's what Lumic _does_. He takes the living...and he turns them into those machines."

"Cybermen," Angel cut in, everyone turned to look at her, those who knew her a bit startled by the force and _venom_ in her voice, "They're called _Cybermen_ ," she sighed and rubbed her head, closing her eyes a moment before looking at Pete, "And I'd take those," she nodded at his ears where he had ear-pods plugged in, " _Off_ , if I were you."

"She's right," the Doctor murmured, though frowning at Angel as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, before turning to Pete, who took his off and handed them over, "You never know...Lumic could be listening…" he flashed his sonic across them, turning them off, "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the City and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight."

Everyone nodded, wanting it over with, before turning away in silence, taking a moment to gather their thoughts about what had just happened.

The Doctor turned back to Angel, "What happened?" he asked her quietly, just knowing there was more to the Cybermen than she was letting on, something had to have happened with them at some point, she clearly had some experience with them in the past, "What's wrong?"

She was silent for a moment, gathering her strength to talk about what was quite possibly her most painful memory, before she turned to look up at him, "Remember how I told you about my mum, what happened to her," she said quietly, not wanting Rose or Mickey to overhear, it was hard enough to talk to just the Doctor about. She swallowed hard as he nodded, "I never told you _which_ enemy it was."

He blinked, "Cybers?" he breathed, stunned. No wonder she'd reacted in such a way. She and her mother had a remarkable relationship, she was closer to the woman than anyone else and, to lose her at such a young, well, young for THEM, age...it must have been devastating. And now, to see the enemy that had taken her mother's life reborn in another dimension...he couldn't even imagine what she was feeling.

She nodded, "They wanted access to temporal technology like the Daleks…sent a small fleet…and…" she blinked quickly, the tears in her eyes even more prominent, her anger turning into sorrow.

He quickly pulled her to him, hugging her tightly as she recalled the death of her mother. He promised himself then and there, it WOULD end tonight, he would make _sure_ of it. These Cybermen would _not_ spread across the galaxy like the others of their world had. They would not cause the hurt that Angel was feeling, not if he had anything to say about it.

~8~

Several Cybermen stood in Lumic's office as he examined them, "My everlasting children...tell me...how does it _feel_?"

"We feel nothing," a Cyberman replied.

"But in your _mind_? What do you think?"

"We think the same. We are uniform."

"But you think of...what?"

"We think of the humans. We think of their difference and their pain. They suffer in the skin, they must be upgraded."

"Excellent," he laughed, "Then let's begin! Computer, identify John Lumic."

"Voice print acknowledged," the computer announced.

"Activate ear-pod primary sequence."

"Please state area of activation."

"The City of London. I've just declared Independence. Begin transmission!"

~8~

An alarm sounded in the middle of London, much like the one that had signaled the downloads earlier, all the people coming to a halt, frozen in their tracks as their ear-pods flashed.

~8~

The cellar door creaked open and Jackie was revealed, standing there, motionless, her ear-pods activated.

~8~

As one, the people of London began to turn and walk in the same direction.

~8~

Jackie stepped past the Cybers, marching up the stairs and out of the basement.

~8~

"You will come to me," Lumic grinned, watching the progress on his computer, "My dear children. The Immortal Ones."

~8~

"All of London has been sealed off," a news reporter announced, sans ear-pods, "There are reports of an army, an army of metal men. All citizens should remove their ear-pods. Repeat: _remove_ all ear-pods. London has been placed under martial law. If you're hearing this, stay in your homes. I repeat: stay in your homes."

~8~

Crane winced, clutching his ears as he leaned against a lorry, ripping the pods from them, "Oh no, you _don't_."

~8~

The gang walked down a road, eyeing all the people just marching in the one direction, completely befuddled, "What the hell..." Jake shook his head.

"What's going on?" Rose frowned.

"It's the ear-pods," Angel eyed a nearby woman.

"Lumic's taking control," the Doctor muttered.

"Can't we just...I dunno, take them off?" Rose reached out to the nearest man's ear-pods.

"No!" Angel shouted, wincing as she rubbed her head, spinning around and quickly putting her other hand over Rose's to stop her from pulling the ear-pod off.

The Doctor looked at Angel, concerned, but she just shook her head, the flash of pain she'd felt already gone.

"You alright?" Rose asked, having seen it as well, moving to put her hand on Angel's shoulder.

"I'm fine," she offered the girl a smile, "But we can't take the pods out, it's a failsafe that the Cybermen use. Try and cut the connection by removing the pods and it'll cause a brainstorm. It'll _kill_ them," she looked at the marching people sadly, "And _they're_ still _human_."

Rose eyed Angel a moment, this was the most she'd ever heard the girl talk about another species or technology. It was like she didn't 'know,' as in know through one of her feelings, but actually did KNOW quite a bit about the Cybermen.

The Doctor nodded, "Human Race, for such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life."

"Hey!" Jake shouted, motioning for them to come to where he and Ricky were peeking around the corner, "Come and see."

They walked over to see a row of Cybermen marching right beside the people, all heading in the same direction, "Where are they all going?" Rose squinted.

"I don't know," the Doctor shook his head, "Lumic must have a base of operation."

"Battersea," Pete stated, "That's where he was building his prototypes."

"Why's he doing it?" Rose asked him.

"He's dying. This all started out as a way of life by keeping the brain alive. At any cost."

"The thing is," Rose looked at the Doctor, "I've _seen_ Cybermen before, haven't I?"

Angel nodded, "The head of a Cyberman was in Van Statten's museum," she shifted a bit, "He used to brag about the different alien 'parts' he'd acquired."

In reality, she knew he had been trying to intimidate her, scare her, make her think he'd add a piece of HER to the collection as well. She never reacted though, she could tell he was bluffing. All the pieces he had had come from debris and other remains of battles and things. He would _never_ have risked trying to remove anything from a live sample.

"Ah, there _are_ Cybermen in _our_ Universe," the Doctor explained, about to continue when Angel cut in.

"They began on as simple a planet as any but spread through the Universe, like a plague. This is just a parallel version of them, happening right on Earth," she sighed.

The Doctor nodded slowly, "Yeah..."

"What the hell are you on about?" Pete eyed her curiously as well.

Angel shrugged, "Know thy enemy," she muttered, she understood _that_ phrase well enough.

The Doctor's eyes widened, realizing what had happened. When Angel's mother had died, she must have researched the ones who killed her. He doubted it was for revenge though, she hadn't used the power cell with the intent to kill the Cybermen, and not even the Daleks got her riled up enough to kill them even with the power of the Vortex in her, and _they_ had been responsible for the death of her sister _and_ father _and_ scores of their people, but...given the sort of person Angel was, he very much believed that she had probably learned about them so, should she encounter them, she might be able to _stop_ them, save others, know their weaknesses so she could escape or help others escape. It explained how she knew the power cell would work, how their own technology worked, their origins...

"I didn't want them to hurt anyone else," Angel added, as though reading his mind, "Not if I could stop them."

He smiled, he _knew_ it.

"Never mind that," Ricky interrupted, "Come on, we need to get out of the City," he turned around to see Cybermen coming up behind them, "Ok, split up, Mrs. Moore, you look after _that_ bloke," he nodded at Pete, "Jake, distract them, go right, I'll go left, we'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move," he turned and ran off, Jake going in another direction.

Mickey turned to Rose and Angel, "I'm going with him," he quickly kissed Rose.

"Be _careful_ ," Angel warned him before he nodded, silently promising her he'd do as she asked. She trusted him enough to let him run off with the Preachers, saw how important it was to him that he be of some help in protecting them, he _wouldn't_ fail her now. He turned and ran off after Ricky.

"Come on, let's go," Mrs. Moore said, turning to lead them away. They ran off, the Cybers following them, "There!" she pointed to a side alley, leading them down it.

~8~

Ricky and Mickey came to a fork in the road, stopping to catch their breath, "Which way?" Mickey looked around, "I don't know where we are."

"Did they see us?" Ricky glanced back.

"Do they know where we are?"

"I think they saw us. I bet they can see in the dark…"

"I bet they got satellites…"

"I bet they saw us in the dark…"

"They know where we are!" they both said at once, looking at each other.

"I don't _get_ it," Ricky shook his head, "What is it _with_ you? You are _exactly_ like me."

"I dunno," he shrugged, "I reckon you're braver."

"Oh yeah. Ten times. Still, your friends aren't bad. I'll give you that."

"What, the Doctor and Rose?" he shook his head, "I just tag along behind."

"I thought you and that Angel girl…"

"Oh, yeah," Mickey nodded, smiling a bit, "Yeah, she's a friend."

She really was, his...his _best_ _friend_ really. It was weird how fast that had happened. He'd met Angel and, right from the get go, she'd taken to him, treating him as though he were already an old friend. He hadn't understood it, why she was so kind and interested in _him_ , but...he _liked_ it. And then she just seemed to like him more and more every time they met. He found himself liking her more and more as well. She was interesting and funny and sweet, she made him feel protective and determined and, whenever he got to help her, it made him feel...strong.

Yeah, she was his friend.

What's more, she was his pilot.

"Well, then you're not that bad," Ricky shrugged.

"D'you think?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

They glanced back at the sound of marching feet to see Cybers down the street.

"Cybermen," Mickey breathed.

"Split up!" they both shouted, dashing off in opposite directions.

~8~

The Cybermen stomped down the road towards where the Doctor, Rose, Pete, Angel, and Mrs. Moore were crouched, hidden behind a pile of bins. Rose grabbed Pete's hand while the Doctor held tightly to Angel's, he could feel her shaking a bit beside him. Despite her anger and, well, hate, for the Cybers, they _were_ a deadly enemy. She knew better than anyone what they could do, would do, to get their way. It was only natural that she'd be afraid of them as well. He hated Daleks, and they still terrified _him_ as much as he did them.

The Cybers stopped, about to investigate more, when the Doctor pulled out the sonic and turned it on. It bleeped once and the Cybers turned and marched on their way, their signal scattered for just a moment.

Rose stood up, dropping Pete's hand as she watched them go.

"Go," the Doctor hissed.

They all crept out from behind the bins and ran back the way they came.

~8~

"Chamber twelve now closed for sterilization," a Cyberman reported as the people of London, including Jackie, marched into the factory of Battersea, "All reject stock will be incinerated."

~8~

Ricky ran as fast as he could but the Cybermen were hot on his trail. He changed direction, when he found himself blocked by another group of them. He turned, rushing down a side alley, his last chance, only to see a metal fence. He rattled it, but the gate was locked.

Mickey ran around from the other side, "Come on!" he cried as Ricky started climbing up, the Cybers approaching, "Come on! _Come on_!"

But it was too late.

One of the Cybermen simply grabbed Ricky's foot, electrocuting him.

"No!" Mickey shouted as Ricky fell backwards off the fence, landing in a heap on the ground, dead. Mickey looked from the body to the Cybermen who just stood there, watching him, unmoved and unaffected, before he stumbled backwards and ran off.

~8~

"This one is unprogrammed," a Cyberman reported as Crane was led before Lumic.

"Mr. Crane," Lumic frowned, "I thought you were one of the faithful."

"Oh, that I am, sir," Crane nodded, "My ear-pod must've malfunctioned. For which I apologize," Lumic squinted at him suspiciously, "If I er...might..." Lumic nodded and he stepped forward a few paces, "I'd like to request an upgrade, sir. I've seen the future, and it's copyright Cybus Industries. Sign me up."

"A _willing_ volunteer," he started to smile.

"You've known me a long time, sir. Quite a team, you and me. I've been with you all the way. But believe me, sir, knowing you so well...I know _exactly_ what to do!" he suddenly lunged forward and ripped the breathing apparatus away from Lumic, ignoring his cries, smashing the life support system built into the chair till it exploded.

"Help me!" Lumic cried desperately.

One of the Cybermen stepped forward, shoving Crane across the room with one swipe.

"Die, you!" Crane shouted, trying to lunge forward again, but another Cyberman grabbed him by his neck, killing him.

"Help me!" Lumic gasped, trying to get the breathing apparatus back online.

"You are in pain," a Cyberman stated, "We can remove pain forever."

"No! Not yet! I'm not ready."

"We will give you immortality."

"I've _told_ you," he struggled to breathe, "I will upgrade. Only with my _last breath_!"

The Cyberman stomped round the back of Lumic's wheelchair, "Then breathe no more," he hit the logo on his chest and wheeled Lumic out.

"No! No! I command you, _no_!"

~8~

Jake ran back to where the small group was waiting at Bridge Street, "I ran past the river. You should've _seen_ it, the whole City's on the watch. _Hundreds_ of Cybermen all down the Thames," Mickey appeared at the end of the street, running towards them. Jake looked over, his face lighting up, "Here he is!" Mickey came to a sudden halt, "Which one are you?"

Mickey shook his head, his face full of guilt, "I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't..."

"Are you Ricky? ARE YOU RICKY?"

"It's Mickey," Angel said, she knew her companion when she saw him, double or no.

"Yeah," Mickey nodded. Rose ran forward, throwing her arms around him as Jake fell silent. Mickey turned to him, "He _tried_. He was running..." Jake just looked away, "There was too many of them..."

"Shut it," Jake cut in, pained.

"There was nothing I could do…"

"I said just SHUT IT!" Jake shouted, rounding on him, "Don't even TALK about him. You're NOTHING _,_ you are," Mickey's eyes filled with tears, " _Nothing_."

"No you're _not_ Mickey," Angel stepped forward, taking Mickey's hands, her own eyes filled with tears at seeing her companion so upset, so affected by the harsh words of Jake, "You are _not_ nothing. Alright? _I_ am nothing."

Mickey looked at her, shocked she would _ever_ consider herself such a thing. He thought she was _amazing_.

"And you… _you_ are _so much more_ than _amazing_. Believe me, 'cos you are _nothing_ like me."

He blinked as she said the words he'd just been thinking, just been believing, about himself. He could hear it, she _really believed_ he was more than _her_ , but...he KNEW _she_ was _brilliant_ …so what did that make _him_?

"You're _incredible_ ," Angel breathed, answering his unspoken question.

The Doctor swallowed hard, tears in his own eyes at Angel's words. He could hear the truth in her voice, she honestly believed she wasn't amazing, still, despite his claims to the contrary. He knew it was just something that had been hardwired into her over the years by her father's less than pleasant comments and her own regenerations, it would be difficult to crack, he would do it though, no matter what he'd make her see just how fantastic she really was. But just _hearing_ it…he swallowed, "We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on," the group nodded and turned to go, the Doctor stepping forward to Angel's side as Rose led Mickey off, "And you and I are going to talk about that…" he warned, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss of reassurance.

She nodded when he pulled away, she knew how he felt whenever she put herself down, only now she could understand. It was the same way she felt when Mickey put himself down as well, she didn't like it and she certainly didn't believe it.

Her companion was just _fantastic_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, poor Angel :( I really wanted to show another side to her. We've seen her be so understanding and forgiving, especially with Rose when the Doctor regenerated, that I really wanted to dig into her past, reopen a very terrible wound for her, the loss of her mother. That, I felt, is not something she'd be able to forgive so easily. I wanted to show that she can get angry and she can actually hate something (I really want to stay away from making her Mary Sue-ish). I also know I've been playing her out to be a not-quite-as-clever-Time Lady so I hope it was believable that she knew so much about the Cybers. This will really be an emotional episode for Angel as she deals with not only the Cybers but...something else...
> 
> Something else has been affecting Angel throughout these last few chapters. Did you spot it? :)


	23. Age of Steel: Upgrade

The small group stood at the edge of the Thames, looking at the Battersea factory just across the water, "The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place," the Doctor replied, "To be 'converted.'"

"We've gotta get in there and shut it down," Rose said.

"How do we do that?" Mickey shook his head.

"Oh, I'll think of something," the Doctor shrugged.

"You're just making this up as you go along!"

"Yuuuup. But I do it _brilliantly_."

Rose smirked as Mickey had to nod.

"Unfortunately so," Angel agreed as well from her spot beside the Doctor, the man having not let go of her hand since they'd gotten into the van.

"I've found something," Mrs. Moore called as she brought up a 3D model of Battersea for them all to look at as they crowded around her, "That's a schematic of the old factory. Look, cooling tunnels...underneath the plant...big enough to walk through."

"We go under there and up into the control center?" the Doctor pointed to a line of tunnels.

"Mhmm," Mrs. Moore nodded.

"There's another way in," Pete said as everyone turned to him, listening, "Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in..."

"We can't just go strolling up," Jake said, joining them as he'd been standing a few feet away, unwilling to be near Mickey.

"Or, we could...with these…" Mrs. Moore pulled out two pairs of ear-pods from her bag, the Doctor taking one, letting go of Angel's hand, "Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd."

"Then that's my job," Pete determined.

"You'd have to show NO emotion," Angel warned, knowing better than anyone what the Cybers would look for.

She wasn't proud of the fact that the _one_ time she'd actively _tried_ to learn something was because of her mother's death. She'd learned all about the Cybers because she hated them and because, if they attacked her she wanted to know how to fight back. She wanted to know their weaknesses, how to exploit them, how to...hurt them...and that left her feeling so ill, to look back on that and realize that had been why she'd been so eager to learn about them. It upset her, she didn't LIKE attacking anyone, hurting anyone, but, at that point in her life, she'd been so...angry. So hurt, so devastated, she needed to do something! Centuries had passed since her mother had died, and with that time came a sort of healing. She mourned her mother, still missed her, but all that hate that had built up...slowly it had disappeared, muted. She supposed she'd seen the future so to speak during the War, that's when it truly hit her the path she'd been headed oh so long ago. The Daleks were nothing but hate, they were the epitome of it. One need only meet a Dalek to know what hate looked like. And she did NOT want to become that.

"None at all," she continued, "Show ANY sign of emotion and it'll give you away."

"How many of those have you got?" Rose asked Mrs. Moore.

"Just two sets," the woman sighed.

"Ok," she nodded, "If that's the best way of finding Jackie...I'm coming with you," she stood and moved to Pete's side.

"Why does she matter to YOU?" Pete frowned.

"We haven't got time. Doctor, Angel, I'm going with him, and that's that."

"No stopping you, is there?" the Doctor glanced at her.

"Nope."

He chucked an ear-pod at her, "Tell you what...we can take the ear-pods at the same time. Give people their minds back. So they don't walk into that place like sheep. Jakey-boy?"

The Doctor lightly pushed Jake back towards the bank of the Thames as Angel turned, "Mickey, with us…" she nodding him over, bringing him up alongside the Doctor and Jake as the two looked at the zeppelin stationed over Battersea.

"Lumic's transmitting the control signal, and it must be from over there…" the Doctor pointed his sonic at the craft, "There it is...on the zeppelin, see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off."

"Do you think the two of you could take it out?" Angel looked between the two of them.

Jake glared at Mickey, "I don't need you, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!" Mickey shouted at him, Angel had said as much and if she believed it, he would too, "You got that?!"

Angel quickly stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder, tugging him back as she rounded on Jake, herself. She didn't let _the Doctor_ pick on Mickey, she was not about to let anyone else either, "He's offering to help and you are _going_ to _take_ it understood? Everyone gets a partner for this, we're _not_ going it alone. Got that?"

Jake eyed her a moment, before nodding and turning to the Doctor, "Consider it done," he muttered, still not very pleased, but understanding.

The Doctor gave Jake a pat on the shoulder as they turned back to the group, "Mrs. Moore...would you care to accompany me and Angel into the cooling tunnels?"

"How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" Mrs. Moore replied, standing.

"You want _me_ to come?" Angel asked him quietly, honestly sounding surprised she'd been invited. It really shouldn't have though, the Doctor seemed just as keen to have her around as she always had with him.

He turned to her as Mrs. Moore packed her bags, "Why wouldn't I?"

She shifted back and forth, "Well it's just…since the TARDIS is down…I'm rather useless you know?"

She really could only seem to fix TARDISes, it was the _one thing_ she was very good at doing, the one thing that came naturally to her, as naturally as breathing. There was nothing she could do to help the TARDIS except wait till the power cell kicked on. And it wasn't like she'd been getting any feelings, which, she had to admit, was a little odd...but still. There went the only two things she was any good for.

"You?" he raised his eyebrows, "Useless?" he took her hand, squeezing it till she looked up at him, "Never _ever_ ," he breathed, speaking so sincerely that she would have to believe him. Even just having her beside him changed more than she could know. He thought faster, he reacted quicker, he felt _stronger_ when she was with him.

He blinked though as he eyed her a moment, thinking on her 'feelings.' He was actually starting to think it _wasn't_ her affinity with the TARDISes that allowed her to get a feel for the future as she thought and often insisted, but more a _natural_ gift she already had, simply strengthened by her connection to them. TARDISes, much like their people, were telepathic in nature, linked to their pilots via a psychic connection. She had spent her LIFE around them, and they were eleven-dimensional beings, able to not only travel in time but see through it. There was often talk on Earth about environmental factors that could affect the way children developed, perhaps it was the same for Angel. Perhaps she had been born a precog and all her time around the TARDISes just helped strengthen her natural gifts. He would have to talk to her about that, it seemed like a very plausible explanation. But, right now, they really had more important things to deal with, not that he could really classify it that way.

To him, nothing was more important than Angel.

But, he also knew, she would want the humans safe and sound before she'd even let him start talking about her.

He pulled off his glasses and turned to the group, "We attack on three sides, above, between, below. We get to the control center, we stop the conversion machines."

They all nodded, turning to head off in their directions when the Doctor saw Angel wince terribly, pressing a hand to the side of her head, "Mickey!?" she called out, turning to him as he stopped and looked back, "Good luck and don't get hit."

Mickey smiled, giving her a nod, "Yeah. You too. Rose, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, you better!" Rose shouted to him as they all continued on.

"If we survive this," the Doctor told him, "We'll see you back at the TARDIS."

Mickey laughed, "That's a promise."

"It better be," Angel warned him lightly, "You come back with so much as a scratch on you Mickey Smith and there'll be hell to pay, whatever that means!"

He chuckled lightly, mock saluting her, throwing her a wink, though very touched by her concern. She'd partnered him and Jake together, she trusted him to handle himself, she…she thought he was _capable_ and ready to do it. And he would prove himself, for her.

"Good luck," the Doctor called to Rose as they all disappeared in their directions.

~8~

The Doctor opened a latch into the cooling tunnels, allowing Mrs. Moore to descend, followed by Angel, and then himself, "It's freezing here," Mrs. Moore remarked.

"Well...it's a _cooling_ tunnel," Angel remarked, staring at the woman with a look she was sure others had given her when she stated something so obvious, "It's not going to be warm otherwise it'd be a heating vent or something."

Mrs. Moore smiled and laughed, "Fair enough."

"Any sign of a light switch?" the Doctor squinted, trying to see in the dark.

Angel turned to _him_ now, "A light switch? In a _tunnel_?"

He just shrugged, they'd found a horse and Pre-Revolutionary France on a spaceship, why not a lightswitch in a tunnel?

Mrs. Moore shook her head, "Can't see a thing. But I've got these..." she sifted around in her bag and handed the Doctor a light to put on his head, "A device for every occasion..."

"Ooh!" the Doctor beamed.

"Put it on," Mrs. Moore told him, finding one for herself and slipping it on.

"Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving."

Mrs. Moore laughed, "Of all the things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat!"

"The Cyberman of food," Angel smiled.

"But it's tasty," the Doctor countered.

"So is a cookie," Angel remarked, "But you don't see me asking for one."

He laughed, "We'll bake a..." he paused, considering his words, "I'LL bake you a whole batch when we get back to the TARDIS," he promised.

He'd learned rather quickly that, despite his insistance that he and Angel could bond over him teaching her to cook, she really _was_ terrible in the kitchen, actually a danger to those around her. He honestly hadn't thought it was possible to burn water when trying to boil it...Angel had proved him wrong. She'd been ready to make tea when an adventure had popped up, rushed off, leaving the kettle on...they'd come back to see the kettle completely charred with bits of _burned water_ stuck to the inside.

It frustrated her to no end, but he rather found her attempts adorable. Rose and Mickey seemed to take delight in Angel trying to cook and offering him a taste of it, watching his expression when he tried it and tried to keep from showing how BAD it was. Angel though, always seemed to know and would just smile and laugh about it too. He loved that, how she could laugh at herself whenever she didn't do something well.

"A proper torch," Mrs. Moore handed Angel a handheld torch as she had no more head lights.

"Thanks," Angel smiled, turning on her light. She turned to flash it down the tunnel, only to jump back into the Doctor at the sight of a Cyberman, the Doctor quickly putting his arms around her to steady her and reassure her. They looked down the corridor to see _hundreds_ of them, lining the tunnels.

"Already converted, just paralyzed," the Doctor assessed, giving Angel a comforting squeeze, "Come on!" he stepped forward, taking Angel's free hand and leading the way as Mrs. Moore followed. He paused briefly by one, tapping it on the head to hear a hollow noise, "Let's go slowly. Keep an eye out for trip systems."

"Slower may not be better," Angel commented, rubbing her forehead as her eyes stayed on the Cybermen as they passed lifeless form after lifeless form.

~8~

A huge truck drove away from Battersea, a row of Cybermen marching in the opposite direction, as a metallic voice called, "Chamber six now open for human upgrading," Rose and Pete darted alongside the building, trying to remain unseen, "Chamber seven now open for human upgrading," they watched a row of controlled people walk past, "Chamber eight now open for human upgrading."

"Just put them on," Pete nodded at the ear-pods, " _Don't_ show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Ok?"

"Don't worry," Rose whispered, "We can do it."

"Chamber seven now open for human upgrading."

Pete put his ear-pods in, "We could die in here. Why are you doing this?"

"Let's just say I'm doing it for my mum and dad," Rose remarked, putting her own on as well, "Right, let's go!"

They dashed out from their hiding place and joined a line of people filing into the building.

"Chamber eight now open for human upgrading. Chamber nine now open for human upgrading. Chamber ten now open for human upgrading. Chamber eleven now open for human upgrading…"

Rose and Pete took a breath, walking in, not a flicker of emotion on their faces.

~8~

Jake climbed a ladder to the roof where the zeppelin was parked, smiling at the sight. Mickey followed behind him, the two creeping stealthily behind a wall to avoid being seen by the two dazed guards.

"Two guards," Jake whispered, "We can take them."

" _Don't_ kill them," Mickey warned, grabbing the man's arm as he tried to rush around the corner, stopping him.

"Who put YOU in charge?" Jake glared, yanking his arm away.

"If you kill them, what's the difference between you and a Cyberman?"

Jake paused, "Well, I suppose we could use these," he handed Mickey a small corked bottle.

"Smelling salts?" Mickey eyed them skeptically.

"Bit stronger than that. One of Mrs. Moore's little tricks. Should knock them out. Three, two, one…" they ran out from the wall and behind the guards, grabbing them and shoving the bottles under their noses, knocking them out in a second.

"There's gotta be more guards onboard."

"Then let's go get them," Jake nodded, heading up the ladder into the zeppelin.

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Mrs. Moore quickly made their way along the tunnel, just talking as they did, the Doctor absently rubbing small circles into the back of Angel's hand as he held it in his own, just trying to offer her a small bit of comfort. The tunnel had narrowed to the point where they couldn't walk side-by-side any longer, so he'd taken the lead, not about to let anything pop out ahead of them to harm Angel.

"How did you get into this, then?" he asked, "Rattling along with the Preachers?"

"Oh, I used to be ordinary," Mrs. Moore sighed.

"Oh I doubt that's possible," Angel smiled back at her, making Mrs. Moore smile in return.

"Worked at Cybus Industries. '95. 'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was _read_ it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, so I...I just sat down and taught myself everything."

"What about MR. Moore?" Angel looked at her.

"Well, he's not called 'Moore,'" she laughed lightly, "I got that from a book, 'Mrs. Moore.' It's safer not to use real names. But...he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you two? Got any family, or..."

"Just each other," the Doctor said, taking Angel's hand in his own.

Oddly enough, he didn't feel...bitter...or hurt by that fact as much as he had after the War. There had been no love between him and his 'wife' on Gallifrey, he did love his children, of course he did, but they had all grown up, had lives of their own, made their own choices to fight in the War. He'd lost them, yes, he'd lost everything and he missed them terribly but...in a way...gained other things in the process. He'd gained Angel. He knew she would never take the place of his family, she wouldn't even ever try, just like he could never take the place of her family. But, now, they were becoming each other's family, a new family. One that, he hoped, one day, might expand.

Angel had seemed to jokingly 'adopt' Rose as her younger sister, a joke that they'd played off of in an adventure or two, making a family out of the humans. He, while he _did_ love all his companions in their own way, he wanted a _real_ family one day. A _Time Lord_ family. But that would be a _very_ long way into the future, possibly _centuries_ , if it even happened. He was not going to rush Angel into anything like he sometimes felt he had by asking her to Mate. They hadn't even managed to establish a mental bond yet and there he was, thinking about children! He did always have a soft spot for children though. And it _was_ a nice thought, a child, _their_ child. Angel's child, if anything like the mother, would truly be an angel, he knew. A symbol of hope for him, hope for a brighter future and a stronger bond between him and his Mate.

"And the whole world on our shoulders," Angel joked, looking up, nudging him, pulling him from his thoughts, "Almost literally."

The Doctor laughed a bit at that, before glancing back at Mrs. Moore, "Go on then, what's your _real_ name?"

"Angela Price," Mrs. Moore replied, "Don't tell a soul."

"Not a word," the Doctor promised.

None of them noticed a red button behind a Cyberman light up and start beeping, the Cyberman slowly turning its head.

~8~

An alarm went off in Lumic's headquarters, a Cyberman striding over to it, "Movement in Deepcold Six."

"Awaken the army," a second Cyberman ordered.

~8~

"Did that one just move?" Mrs. Moore gasped, seeing a Cyber's hand twitch.

"It's just the torchlight," the Doctor reasoned, tightening his hold on Angel's hand, feeling her stiffen and tense behind him, "Keep going, come on."

But then another one in front of them turned to face them.

"They're waking up!" Angel gasped.

"RUN!" the Doctor shouted, pulling her off.

They bolted down the cooling tunnel as fast as they could, the Cybers springing to life behind them. They reached a ladder at the end of the tunnel, scrambling to get up it as the metal men began to make their way towards them.

"Get up!" Mrs. Moore yelled, "Quick! They're coming!" the Doctor frantically tried to open the seal above them with the sonic, "Open it! Open it!" he managed just in time, throwing it open and climbing up, "Get up!" they all clambered up, "Quick! Quick!"

"Come on!" the Doctor called, "Come on!" they jumped out of the hole, smashing the door down on the Cybers as they tried to follow, the Doctor sealing it with the sonic without a moment to spare.

"That was a bit close," Angel panted, "Far _too_ close," she added as a whisper.

The Doctor looked over at her, knowing it couldn't have been easy to be so close to being trapped with that particular enemy, to have them closing in around her. He quickly made his way over to her, pulling her into his arms. Yes, they had a mission to see to, they barely had any time to spare, but he'd always been a fan of wasting time when he didn't have any. And comforting Angel, that would _never_ be a _waste_ of time. He would _always_ give her as much time as she needed, no matter what.

She breathed deeply, hugging him back tightly for a moment, before nodding into his shoulder, "Come on," she breathed, "We need to stop this."

He pulled away, reaching out to gently stroke her cheek a moment, "We _will_ ," he promised her, taking her hand once more, the three of them heading off.

~8~

Rose and Pete stood in line inside the factory, as a speaker stated, "Units upgrading now 5,500. Repeat: 6,500 and rising."

They walked along, emotionless, when a Cyberman stepped in front of them, stopping Rose from moving on, "You will wait," it stated.

"Are you ok?" Pete whispered to her as the Cyber walked off.

"No," she admitted, frightened.

"Chamber Six now open for human upgrading," they stood as people filed forwards, ready to be upgraded, "All reject stock will be incinerated," they watched in horror as a woman walked into a cell, blades swooping down on her, converting her, a Cyberman's head lowered down before the door opened and a Cyberman walked out.

"Any sign of Jackie?" Pete whispered.

A Cyberman turned and faced them, causing Pete to freeze a moment before it stomped over to him, "You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."

"Confirmed," he said, almost uncertainly.

"I recognize you. I went first. My name was Jacqueline Tyler."

"No!" Rose gasped.

"WHAT?!" Pete's eyes widened.

"They are unprogrammed," the Cyberman reported, "Restrain."

"You're lying! You're not her! You're not my Jackie!"

Several Cybermen stepped forward, ready to hold them back them, when Pete lunged forward at the Jackie-bot, "No. I am Cyber-Form. Once I was Jacqueline Tyler."

"But you CAN'T be...not her..." Rose said, horrified.

"Her brain is inside this body."

"Jacks, I came to _save_ you," Pete muttered.

"This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species," the Jackie-bot informed the others, "He will be rewarded by force. Take them to Cyber Control," the Jackie-bot stomped away as Rose and Pete were grabbed from behind and marched forward.

"They killed her...they just took her and _killed_ her!" Rose breathed.

"Maybe there's a chance, I dunno," Pete swallowed hard, "Maybe we can reverse it."

"There's nothing we can do."

"But if...if she _remembers_..." he glanced over his shoulder, only to see a horde of identical Cybermen standing behind them, "Where is she? Which one was it? Which one was her?"

"They all look the same!" Rose exclaimed before they were roughly shoved forward again.

~8~

Mickey and Jake entered the control room of Lumic's zeppelin, Jake looking around, "Nice one," he smiled, seeing the room deserted, "Nobody's home. Find the transmitter controls."

"What do they look like?" Mickey asked, trying to find it.

"Well, I don't know, they might have 'TRANSMITTER CONTROLS' written in big red letters, just look!" Jake cried exasperatedly.

They both looked around the control room when Mickey turned and jumped, seeing a Cyberman right behind him, standing in a dark alcove.

"Cyberman!" Jake pointed his gun at it but it made no move.

Confused, Jake stepped closer and turned on a light switch.

Mickey reached out and looked at it, seeing it was lifeless, "It's dead," he stated, "I don't think it was ever alive," he tapped it on its head, hollow, "It's empty. No brain. It's just a robot suit. It's for display."

"Ok," Jake nodded, "Transmitter..."

They turned and headed in different directions, looking for it.

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Mrs. Moore slowly crept down a dark hall, when a Cyberman appeared before them, startling them, "You are not upgraded," the Cyberman assessed, reaching out a hand, ready to attack.

"Yeah?" Mrs. Moore glared, "Well, upgrade THIS!" she threw a small device at the Cyber which latched onto its chest. It shot out a spark and electrocuted the metal man, making it shake and jerk till it slumped to the floor.

"What the hell was that thing?!" the Doctor asked, eyes wide.

"Electromagnetic bomb," Mrs. Moore replied as they moved closer to the Cyber, "Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the Cyber-Suit."

"You figured right," the Doctor remarked, "Now, let's have a look..." he pulled out the sonic and held it to the Cybus logo on its chest, "Now..." he looked at Angel softly, "Know your enemy..." she gave him a small smile in return, "And the logo on the front...Lumic's turned them into a brand," he pulled it off to see inside.

"Heart of steel..." Angel pointed to the plate the Doctor held up for Mrs. Moore to see, indicating to a lump of metal attached to it.

"But look..." he reached inside and pulled out a white tissued mess.

"Is that _flesh_?" Mrs. Moore grimaced.

"I think that's the central nervous system," Angel replied, eyeing it, "It's artificially grown and basically wired into the Cybers. It's what lets them respond almost like a living thing."

"Well, it IS a living thing," the Doctor mumbled, rooting around in the chest cavity, "Oh, but look..." he pointed to a metal chip.

"The emotional inhibitor," Angel looked at Mrs. Moore who was frowning, not sure what that meant, "It...it keeps them from feeling."

"But...why?" Mrs. Moore shook her head, confused.

"It's still got a human brain..." the Doctor shrugged, "Imagine its reaction if it could see itself. Realize itself inside this thing. They'd go insane..."

"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human."

"Because they _have_ to."

"Why am I cold?" the Cyberman called, recovering.

"Oh, my God," Mrs. Moore gasped as Angel tensed, "It's alive. It can FEEL."

"The bomb short circuited the inhibitor," Angel frowned, eyeing the chip instead of the metal man.

The Doctor moved closer, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Why so cold?" it asked again.

"Can you remember your name?"

"Sally. Sally Phelan."

"You're a woman..." Mrs. Moore's eyes widened.

"Where's Gareth?"

Angel blinked and finally looked at the Cyber's face, "Gareth?"

"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before."

"You're getting married…" Mrs. Moore realized.

"I'm cold. I'm _so_ cold."

"Sorry," the Doctor whispered, "You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep," he aimed the sonic at the suit, the blue light in the chest turning off.

"It's so easy," Angel commented, frowning, as she looked at the suit, really _looked_ at it, "To forget that they were _human_ once."

The Doctor looked up at her, realizing this was the closure she needed to deal with her mother's death, to see the human beneath the metal…she had been so focused for so long on seeing them as unfeeling machines, this was what she needed to remind her they were human, they COULD still feel, they just...couldn't...

And then it dawned on him.

"The emotional inhibitor," he blinked, "If we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head..." Mrs. Moore and Angel looked at him, "They'd realize what they are..."

"And what happens then?" Mrs. Moore asked.

"I think it would kill them. Could we do that?"

Angel started to shake her head slightly, no, she didn't think she could, not now that she knew the human was still in there somewhere.

"We've _got_ to," Mrs. Moore reasoned, "Before they kill everyone else," the Doctor looked down, not wanting _that_ to be the final and only choice, "There's no choice, Doctor. It's _got_ to be done."

Angel winced, her hand going to her head as Mrs. Moore stood…

When Angel suddenly reached out and pulled her back down, the woman nearly falling over the Cyberman till she was between the Doctor and Angel.

They looked up in shock to see a Cyberman right behind where Mrs. Moore had been standing, its hand out and ready to electrocute her. They scrambled to their feet as more Cybers arrived.

"Sensors detect a binary vascular system," a Cyberman scanned them, not bothering to scan Mrs. Moore too, just lumping her in with them, "You are an unknown upgrade. You will all be taken for analysis," the Cybers started to march off, the Doctor, Angel, and Mrs. Moore with them, the Cybers before and behind them leaving them little choice in the matter.

"What happened just then?" the Doctor asked Angel quietly, taking her hand. He'd seen her wince, seen the genuine pain on her face when it had happened. He was worried for her, because this hadn't been the first time it had happened and it just seemed to be getting worse.

"It was like this…sharp pain," Angel replied, shaking her head, really not knowing how else to describe it, "Like I was shocked and…for that moment I got one of my feelings…"

The Doctor nodded slowly, thinking, "Maybe you really _are_ precognitive," he suggested, whenever they talked about it Angel would insist it was _just_ an aftereffect from a lifetime spent around TARDISes, that she was just more sensitive to the future, "Maybe the TARDIS allowed you to tap into it more, filtered your ability for you. Without it, your mind is trying to adapt on its own?"

Angel frowned, it made a sort of sense…but they really had little time to speculate, this was not the right time or place to worry about that.

~8~

Jake went over to Mickey, who was standing by a panel that read 'Transmitter Controls' in large letters, "The transmitter controls are sealed behind here," Mickey explained, "We need like, an oxyacetylene or something."

"Oh, no I forgot to bring it with me," Jake replied sarcastically.

"Well, then what do we do?"

"We'll crash the zeppelin."

"With us inside it?"

"We could set it to automatic and then just leg it! Let's have a look," he walked over to the controls, tapping on the keyboard and shaking his head, "It's locked. There's gotta be an override..."

Mickey shoved him out of the way, "Let me have a go. I'm good with computers, trust me," he tapped a few keys as Jake watched.

He smiled to himself, he'd never taken charge like that before, shoved someone out of the way to do what he could, what he knew he could. He shook his head a bit, Angel was a good influence on him, always pushing him to think for himself and stand up for his brilliance.

So focused were they on watching the screen, that neither of them noticed the red light start flashing behind the Cyberman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm...Angel's sharp migraines...interesting...getting a little more of an idea about her 'feelings' and things now. And yay, we got a bit of resolution for Angel and the Cybers. When I was watching the episode, I actually forgot they were human at first too and I thought that would be a needed reminder for Angel. She only knew them as the robots that killed her mother, but now she's seeing that, beneath the metal skin, they are still/were human :(


	24. Age of Steel: Delete

The Doctor, Angel, and Mrs. Moore were led into the main control room of Battersea to see Rose and Pete both there as well, "We've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there, they can rescue us," the Doctor began sarcastically.

Angel frowned, "No they can't," she remarked before whispering to him, "They're right there," she pointed, "They've been captured too."

He chuckled and shook his head fondly at her, "Oh well then," he smiled, "Never mind."

"Rose?" Angel looked at her, seeing a devastated look on her face as she made her way over to the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she nodded sadly, sniffling, tears in her eyes, "But they got Jackie."

"I'm so sorry," Angel breathed, pulling her into a tight hug, she could relate better than anyone there what it was like to lose your mother to the Cybers, "So sorry."

Rose nodded into her shoulder, clutching her just as tight. Angel didn't know, but she'd heard her, heard what the Time Lady had admitted to the Doctor about which enemies had been responsible for her mother's death. She could barely stand it at the moment and she knew her REAL mother was still alive, still fine, just in a different world. Angel truly had lost her only mother.

"We were too late," Pete sighed, "Lumic killed her."

"Then where is he?" the Doctor shouted, growing angry at the turn of events, not only had the Cybers of their world taken his Mate's mother from her but the Cybers of THIS world had taken his companion's parallel mother as well, "The famous Mr. Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?"

"He has been upgraded," a Cyberman stated.

"So he's just like you?" Angel eyed it as she moved to stand beside Rose, her arm around the girl's shoulders, unwilling to remove the comfort she could offer. When her mother had died, she and her sister had needed each other more than ever to get through it. And while it _hadn't_ been the Jackie of Rose's world that had been converted, a fate, she admitted, was much worse than death, she knew it affected the girl just as much.

"He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber-Controller."

They all turned as a wall slid open and Lumic, no the Cyber-Controller, was rolled through, sitting on a rather advanced throne-like chair, wires and tubes sticking out of him.

"Oh my God," Mrs. Moore gasped at the sight.

"This is the Age of Steel and I am its Creator," the Lumic-bot stated.

~8~

"Almost there," Mickey muttered, tapping away on the computer.

"Not bad work," Jake nodded approvingly, when the sound of metal shifting caught his attention. He spun around to see what they thought was just the Cyberman display actually stepping towards them, "It's moving!" they dashed out of the way as it reached for them, "You said it was dead!"

"Yeah," Mickey nodded, "But he's still a steel robot," Jake pointed a gun at it as Mickey pushed his hand down, thinking farther into the consequences of using the gun in there. One wrong move, one stray bullet and the walls would be punctured, they couldn't risk losing the integrity of the structure even a bit. He pulled Jake away as it swung at them.

"Don't let it hit ya!" Mickey shouted before his eyes widened, "Don't get hit…" he breathed, recalling Angel's words, "Oh my pilot is _brilliant_!" he cheered, before focusing on the Cyber, "Hey, Cyberman, over here!" he called, leading the robot towards the transmitter controls, "Come on, you brainless lump of metal," the metal man stomped towards him as Mickey egged him on, "Come and have a go!" the Cyberman raised its fist, ready to strike as Mickey ducked out of the way at the last second.

The Cyberman punched through the transmitter, causing it to explode and electrocute the Cyberman at the same time.

~8~

The ear-pods on the dazed people slowly deactivated, the people waking up with horror, seeing what was happening around them, what they were about to walk into.

"Oh no!" a woman shouted before they all started screaming and running out of the factory.

~8~

"The transmitter's down!" Mickey cheered as he and Jake hugged excitedly.

Mickey beamed, hoping that, wherever Angel was, she was as proud of him as he was of himself.

~8~

Humans raced out of the power station, knocking the Cybermen out of the way.

~8~

The small group in the control room heard the screams as the Cybers looked around.

"That's my companion!" Angel cheered, _so_ proud, "Good work Mickey!"

"Mr. Lumic, I think that's a vote for freewill," the Doctor winked at the Lumic-bot.

"I have factories waiting on seven continents," the Lumic-bot replied, "If the ear-pods have failed, then Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world."

~8~

"Hold on, I've logged on to Cyber-Control," Mickey said, managing to get the picture up on the monitor of Lumic's control room, seeing the Doctor, Angel, Rose, Pete, and Mrs. Moore standing there, "They're alive! Rose and Angel and the Doctor, there they are!"

"Never mind them," Jake frowned, though pleased to see Mrs. Moore was alright, "What the hell is THAT thing?" he pointed at the Lumic-bot.

"Shh," Mickey tapped a few more keys, "Has this thing got sound?"

~8~

Angel frowned, closing her eyes for a moment as the small zing of pain struck her mind, though less jarring than the pain that had let her save Mrs. Moore. The Doctor glanced at her as she looked up at the small security camera in the corner of the room, he followed her gaze, smiling.

"I will bring peace to the world," the Lumic-bot stated, "Everlasting peace, and unity, and uniformity."

"And imagination?" the Doctor asked, returning his attention to the metal man, "What about that? The one thing that lead you here. Imagination, you're killing it dead!"

"What is your name?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken."

Angel shook her head, "What if you get a virus?"

The Doctor smirked at the dual meaning behind her words, virus as in a computer virus or as a human illness, "And that's just it!" the Doctor took a step towards the robot, as enthusiastic as he always got when talking about humans, "That's _exactly_ the point!" he sighed, "Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man...I'd call you a genius except I'm in the room. But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is SO human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for? Eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop! You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts. Lacking the one thing that makes this planet so ALIVE _._ PEOPLE _._ Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."

"You are proud of your emotions?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then tell me, Doctor, have you known grief, and rage, and pain?"

"Yes. Yes, I have."

"And they hurt?"

"Oh yes."

"I could set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?"

"You might as well kill me."

"Then I take that option."

"But you can't!" Angel stepped forward, angry at how little the man cared for life, "As a CYBER-Controller you don't control him or anything else with a heartbeat and soul!"

"You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own."

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head, exasperated, "You just don't _get_ it, do you? An army's NOTHING. 'Cos those ordinary people, _they're_ the key."

"It only takes _one person_ to change the world," Angel agreed passionately. She had see it herself both in a positive and negative light. Positive in how Nancy, with her love for her son, had saved the world from the nanogenes, negative like when Rose, by saving her father, had doomed the world to the Reapers.

~8~

Mickey nodded at what the Doctor and Angel were saying, "Some ordinary man or woman...some idiot..." he jolted at that, staring at the Doctor as the man continued, "All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers...say, the right codes...say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code _right in front of him_. 'Cos even _an idiot_ knows how to use _computers_ these days," his mouth fell open, realizing what the Doctor as talking about, "Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords...knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under...what was it, Pete? Binary what?"

"Binary 9," Pete said louder than typically necessary, but catching onto the Doctor's plan as had Mrs. Moore given her smile.

"Binary 9," Mickey whispered, starting to type quickly as the code appeared on the monitor.

"An IDIOT could find that code," the Doctor continued, "The _cancellation_ code. And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting," he looked pointedly at the camera, "Anything to save his friends...save his pilot," he added, sending a wink to Angel, knowing how close she and Mickey had gotten, how protective they were of each other.

~8~

"Your words are irrelevant," the Lumic-bot cut in.

"I know," Angel agreed, "He talks far too much. Though, I _do_ love listening to him."

The Doctor beamed at that, nodding, "That's my problem. Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose. For all our long chats. On your PHONE," he sent a meaningful glance at the camera again.

The humans started to chuckle at how obvious he was being, though the Cybers didn't seem to quite get it. There was that lack of creativity and imagination the Doctor had just mentioned.

~8~

"The phone..." Mickey breathed, pulling out his mobile and putting in the code.

~8~

"You will be deleted," the Lumic-bot ordered.

"Yes, delete, control, hash, all those lovely buttons," the Doctor continued, "Then of course, my particular favorite..." he pointed at the resident techy.

"Send!" Mrs. Moore cheered with a laugh.

~8~

And Mickey pressed send.

~8~

"And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place," the Doctor said as Rose's phone pinged, "By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else..." he strolled over to a particular computer.

"It's for you," Rose chucked him her phone.

"Like this," the Doctor said, shoving it into a port.

The Cybers grabbed their heads, moaning in pain as the cancellation code flashed on every single computer.

~8~

Mickey and Jake jumped up and down in delight, "Yes!"

~8~

The Cybermen all over the factory started falling down, twitching, crying out, clutching their heads. One caught sight of itself in a piece of metal in the control room and whimpered, touching its face and reflection.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor breathed, watching the Cyberman as others fell to their knees, heads exploding.

"What have you done?!" the Lumic-bot roared.

"I gave them back their souls," the Doctor glared at him, "They can see what you've done, Lumic! And it's killing them!" he reached out and grabbed Angel's hand as they all ran from the room.

"Delete!" the Lumic-bot commanded after them, "Delete! Delete!"

They ignored him, running through the factory as small explosions erupted all over the place. They opened a door to see dying Cybermen behind it, the Doctor slamming it shut, "There's no way out!"

Angel shook her head, "There's always a way out."

He turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Where?"

She looked into his eyes, starting to blink quite a lot before wincing as a zing hit her, "The roof!" she shouted, grabbing his hand and leading him off this time, the humans following.

~8~

Jake started turning the wheel of the zeppelin when Mickey rounded on him, "What're you _doing_?"

"We've gotta get away," Jake told him, "If that factory blows up, this balloon's gonna ignite!"

"Take it back!"

"Mickey, they've had it!"

"I said TAKE IT BACK!" he shoved Jake away and took the wheel, took a stand, "We're _not_ leaving them behind," he turned it back towards the factory, Jake trying to get at it again but Mickey shoved him harder, "There's no way we're leaving them behind!" he was not about to leave Rose or the Doctor behind, especially not Angel, not after all she'd done for him. The zeppelin shook as a small explosion happened beneath it. Mickey tossed his mobile at Jake, "Hold it!" Jake held it up by Mickey's ear, "Rose?"

~8~

"Rose, can you hear me?" Mickey shouted as Rose answered her phone mid-run, "Head for the roof!"

"Already on our way!" Rose told him, before calling to the group, "It's Mickey! He says 'head for the roof' too!"

The four of them followed Angel as she ran up the nearest stairs, trying to avoid the explosions and the flames till they made their way to the roof.

"There!" Angel pointed to a small ladder that would lead to a higher section of the roof.

They ran for it, Rose getting up it first, leaping down onto the roof, followed by Angel, Mrs. Moore, the Doctor, and Pete.

"Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?!" Rose called into the phone when they caught sight of the zeppelin.

"Playstation," Mickey replied, "Just hold on, Rose. I'm coming to get you."

They ran forwards, flinching as random explosions shot up around them.

~8~

"You can't go any lower!" Jake shouted, trying to take the wheel.

"I've _got_ to!" Mickey took it back.

"You're gonna _crush_ them!"

Mickey looked at him, realizing he was telling the truth, "There's got to be something. There's GOT to be," he turned, smiling as he saw their way out, "Oh, YES!" he rushed over to a lever pulling it, opening a hatch and releasing a rope ladder to the roof.

~8~

The group ran to the ladder, "You've got to be kidding," the Doctor mumbled, "Angel, Rose, get up!" he shouted, helping the two women climb up it first, "Mrs. Moore you next!" as soon as the women were up he and Pete grabbed on as well.

~8~

"Hold on tight, we're going up!" Mickey shouted, grabbing a comm., "Welcome to Mickey's Airlines. Please enjoy your flight. Woo!" he laughed, spinning the wheel.

~8~

The small group clung to the rope ladder as the zeppelin rose up and away, "We did it!" Rose cheered, "We did it!"

"I _told_ you my companion was brilliant," Angel smiled down at the Doctor as he just rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

But then the ladder suddenly jerked.

They looked down to see the Lumic-bot hanging onto the bottom, making his way up.

"Pete!" the Doctor shouted, pulling out the sonic, "Take this!" he dropped it down to Pete, "Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope, just do it!"

"Jackie Tyler, this is for her!" Pete pressed the button, holding the sonic to the rope as the Lumic-bot climbed closer and closer. And then the rope snapped, dropping the Lumic-bot down to the heat.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" it screamed as it fell into the flames below, the group on the ladder struggling just to hold on as the zeppelin carried them away.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel walked into the dark TARDIS, Angel carefully carrying the power cell. She placed it in a slot and the TARDIS sprang to life, the lights coming back on, the familiar hum filling it. They beamed widely as they turned to hug each other, relieved.

"Welcome back old girl," Angel cheered, reaching out to stroke the rotor gently.

~8~

Rose and Pete stood outside the TARDIS, waiting for the Time Lords to finish whatever it was they were doing within, "So, what happens inside that thing, then?" Pete nodded towards it.

"Do you wanna see?" Rose asked quickly.

"No, I don't think so. But you three, you know, all that stuff about different worlds...who are you?"

"It's like YOU say. Imagine there are different worlds. Parallel worlds. Worlds with another Pete Tyler...Jackie Tyler's still alive...and their daughter..." she said it carefully, looking into his eyes.

Pete's eyes widened in realization, "I've gotta go…"

"But if you just look inside..."

"No, I can't," he stepped back, "There's all those Lumic factories out there. All those Cybermen still in storage. Someone's _got_ to tell the authorities what happened. Carry on the fight..."

"Rose?" the Doctor called as he and Angel stepped out of the TARDIS and jogged over to them.

"The cell's only good for five minutes of power..." Angel said, "We've really gotta go."

"They could show ya..." Rose turned back to Pete.

"Thank you," Pete shook his head, "For everything."

Rose looked at him, tears in her eyes, pleading, " _Dad_."

"Don't," Pete said forcefully, "Just…just _don't_ ," he turned, walking away just as Mickey, Mrs. Moore, and Jake ran over, Mickey holding the Doctor's suit.

"Here it is!" Mickey grinned, "I found it. Not a crease."

"My suit!" the Doctor cheered, "Good man!" Angel cleared her throat, "Oh alright fine, _brilliant_!"

Mickey beamed.

"Mrs. Price," Angel turned to her, the woman gasping a bit at the use of her real name after so long, it felt good, "Lumic's gone, you're safe now. You, your husband, and your children. Say hello for me?"

Mrs. Moore smiled, tears in her eyes, a grateful look on her face as she nodded, just so happy she could _finally_ return home.

"Off we go, then!" the Doctor smiled.

"Uh...thing is, I'm staying," Mickey told them softly, squaring himself for what he was sure would be a fight.

"You're doing _what_?" the Doctor turned to him, startled, as Angel just smiled sadly.

She had seen it from the moment Rita opened the door. If she'd had the chance to be with her mother again, she would have jumped at the chance and not let anyone take it from her. Well...that wasn't quite true anymore. Months ago it would have, she would have given up anything for that. But now...now, she just...couldn't. Now she had the Doctor and she just...she couldn't imagine her life, her remaining lives without him. All children knew that, one day, their parents would pass on, but all people, no matter the species, lived in the hope that they themselves would pass on with their loves beside them, peacefully and at the same time so as not to be without them. She had lived on after her mother passed, continued, endured, survived, and proven to herself that whe could go on without her.

She knew, she could feel it in her bones, in her soul, not needing any of her 'feelings' or 'sensations' to know it was true, that she couldn't live on past the Doctor. If she lost him, she wouldn't have it in her to go on. She loved him too much to even want to think of the possibility of living a life without him in it. Not ever.

"You _can't_ ," Rose looked at him, upset, clearly not expecting that.

"It sort of balances out, 'cos this world lost its Ricky," Mickey said, his voice trembling as he had to say goodbye not only to the girl he had loved but to another woman who had become one of his best friends in such a short time, "But there's _me_. And there's work to be done with all those Cybers still out there."

"But you _can't_ stay," Rose shook her head and turned to the Doctor and Angel, "He can't, can he?"

"He _could_ , if he wanted to," Angel answered, before looking at Mickey, "Is this what you _really_ want Mickey?" she asked, an understanding in her eyes, she had seen _why_ he wanted to stay, the woman he wanted to stay for.

"My Gran's here," he breathed, _so_ thankful that she wasn't pushing him to leave with them or _truly_ questioning his decision, merely making sure he was ready to handle it, handle the consequences that would come with this decision. He'd never had anyone just believe in what he was doing, not trying to change him, she let him do what he wished and supported him, "She's still alive," he looked at Rose, "My old Gran, remember her?"

Rose nodded, sniffling, as she tried to blink back her tears, "Yeah."

"She NEEDS me."

"What about me? What if _I_ need you?"

"Yeah, but Rose...you don't," he tried to smile at her, "You've got the Doctor and Angel looking out for you, and who better to do it eh? We had something a long time ago, but...not anymore."

"Well…we'll come back," Rose looked at the Doctor and Angel hopefully, only to see their grim expressions, "We can travel anywhere, come and see you, yeah?"

"We can't," the Doctor shook his head, "I told you, travel between parallel worlds is _impossible_. We only got here by _accident_. We…we fell through a crack in time. When we leave...we've _got_ to close it. We can't _ever_ return."

Mickey nodded, sucking in a breath as the true ramifications hit him, before holding his hand out to the Doctor, "Doctor."

"Take Rose's phone," the Doctor said, shaking Mickey's hand, "It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories," Mickey nodded in promise, "And good luck. Mickey the Idiot," he slapped Mickey's cheek playfully.

"Watch it!" Mickey laughed.

Angel turned to Mickey, pulling him into a tight hug, "You were _the_ _best_ companion I have _ever_ had," she told him softly, not letting go, meaning every single word of it.

"I'm the ONLY companion you've ever had," he countered playfully, hugging her just as tight, knowing this would very well be the last time he ever got to see her. He'd miss her, truly, he would. _So_ _much_.

"Exactly," she pulled away, smiling at him, her hands still on his shoulders as she just looked at him, a warmth and pride in her eyes that touched his very soul, "You were my _first_ , and therefore, you will _always_ be my favorite."

He beamed at that, nodding, proud, "Goodbye Angel, my pilot."

"Goodbye Mickey, my companion," she said before turning and taking the Doctor's hand as they walked back to the TARDIS to give Mickey and Rose a moment of privacy.

The Doctor squeezed her hand, feeling her start to shake, seeing the tears that had appeared in her eyes as soon as she'd turned around. She was upset, of course she was, to lose her very first companion so soon after getting him, but...she knew this was something Mickey needed to do to truly be happy and she would not begrudge him that. She wouldn't let him see her cry, because that would make him feel awful about choosing to stay and she wanted him to go into this new adventure feeling strong and confident, with no regrets.

So, she walked towards the TARDIS, trying to seem strong, for Mickey, but that didn't stop the Doctor from pulling her right into his arms as soon as the doors closed behind them and she started to cry, her legs actually falling from beneath her as she sunk to the console room floor, the Doctor going down with her, holding her tightly, whispering soothing words in her ear, his hearts breaking for her. He hadn't ever wanted her to experience this pain, the pain of losing a companion, especially not her first, though, he supposed, he had to take comfort in the fact that Mickey was alive and simply choosing to leave instead of having been hurt or, worse yet, killed. Had Mickey been lost instead of Rickey, that would have devastated her and he couldn't bear that.

~8~

Rose waited till the Time Lords stepped into the box before she handed her phone to Mickey as he slid it in his pocket, "Thanks," he smiled at her, "We've had a laugh though, haven't we?" Rose nodded, tearful, "Seen it all, been there and back...who would have thought, me and you off the old estate, flying through the stars?"

"All those years just sitting there...imagining what we'd do one day..." her voice broke, "We never saw this, did we?"

Mickey pulled her into a tight hug, "Go on, you'll miss your flight."

Rose hugged him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder. When she pulled away she couldn't look at him for fear of breaking down as she turned and headed back to the TARDIS, sobbing. When she reached the doorway, she turned and looked back at him one more time, before going inside, where an equally tearful Angel pulled her into a hug, both women crying for the loss of someone so important to both of them, the Doctor working on getting the TARDIS back home so he could comfort them more.

"Jake, Mrs. Moore, you wanna watch this," Mickey told them as they stood, watching the TARDIS slowly disappear.

"What…the hell?" Jake asked, incredulous, as Mrs. Moore gasped.

"That's the Doctor and the Angel...in the TARDIS...with Rose Tyler," Mickey smiled.

~8~

Jackie was standing by the kitchen sink, refilling the kettle up as she'd just made tea, when she heard the TARDIS materialize in her sitting room. She quickly rushed out to see Rose open the doors and look at her, "You're alive..." Rose gasped as Jackie raised her eyebrows, "Oh, mum. You're alive."

She flung her arms around her mother, startling Jackie slightly, "Well, I was the last time I looked..." Jackie murmured, hugging her back. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS with Angel, both just watching the moment, "What is it? What's happened, sweetheart?" Rose just shook her head, her hold tightening. Jackie looked at the duo, concerned, especially when she saw Angel was equally as upset, tears in the girl's eyes as well, "What's wrong? Where did you go?"

"Far away," the Doctor replied, "That was... far away."

"Where's Mickey?"

"He's home," Angel breathed, blinking back her tears as the Doctor put an arm around her as well, the girl lasting only a moment before the tears overtook her and the Doctor pulled her completely into his arms, "He's gone," she said quietly to him, crying, as Jackie led Rose into the kitchen for the tea she'd made, "I...I can't believe he's gone..."

"Shh," the Doctor rubbed her back, tears appearing in his eyes at seeing her so hurt and upset, "He's safe," he reminded her, "He's home, he's with family," he smiled, feeling pride for the young man, "He's saving the world, defending the Earth," he pulled back a bit and cupped her cheek, "Can't beat that eh?"

She sniffled, "No," she breathed, shaking her head.

"And it's all because of _you_ ," he told her softly, stroking her cheek, wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumb, "He's come so far Angel, grown _so much_ , and it's because of you."

"No it's not," she countered lightly, though she was smiling a bit, "He's just naturally brilliant."

He laughed at that, "Maybe, but _you_ saw that first. And you made _him_ see it as well. You made ME see it."

"And now the world will see it too," she determined.

"Oh yes."

Her smile faded, "It still hurts though," she murmured, trying not to start crying again.

He nodded sadly, "And it always will," he admitted, recalling his own pain when he thought back on previous companions, "It will always hurt to lose them, but..." he started to smile, "You just have to remember how brilliant they were and how proud you are of the people they became."

"SO proud," she smiled.

"Me too," he nodded, hugging her tightly once more.

Mickey Smith was certainly a remarkable man, he could see it now, a _very_ remarkable man and...he truly _couldn't_ picture a better man to be Angel's first companion.

He would most definitely be a tough act to follow.

~8~

Mickey and Jake got back inside the van after having dropped off Mrs. Moore at her home, where they'd witnessed a tearful reunion of mother and children, of wife and husband, "I know it's not easy with my face looking exactly like Ricky," Mickey turned to Jake, determined, "But I'm a different man. I'm _not_ replacing him. But we can _remember_ him by fighting in his name," Jake nodded, smiling, "With all those Cyber-Factories out there, do you think they'll be one in Paris?"

He wanted to see it again. His very first official adventure as Angel's companion had involved Paris. What better way to kick off his first official adventure in the parallel world than with Paris as well?

Jake nodded, "Yeah."

"Then, let's go and liberate Paris."

"What, you and me? In a van?"

"Nothing wrong with a van," Mickey smirked, "I once helped saved the Universe with a big yellow truck."

Jake grinned and started the engine, driving off into the night, ready to fight the good fight, one that Mickey _knew_ would make Angel proud, one that he knew would make him proud of himself.

She gave him the strength and now he could stand on his own.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this ending SO MUCH even though I'm SO SAD to see Mickey go :( and so was Angel. I hope you liked the goodbye scene between them, it was actually the hardest part of this chapter to write lol. I hope the subtle change in Mickey has been seen in the last few episodes. I felt like he really just needed one person to believe in him in order to believe in himself. Just wait till we see Mickey again, we'll see that change and maturity play out MUCH more. Let's just say...Mickey's going to have to make a choice, Rose or Angel. Who do you think he'll pick? :)
> 
> And, can I just say, The Idiot's Lantern...so excited for the 2nd chapter :) Given how close Angel and Rose are, how do you think she'll react to the whole mess with the Wire?


	25. The Idiot's Lantern: A Londony New York

Mr. Magpie, owner of Magpie's Electrical, sat at a desk one night, trying...and failing...to balance his accounts.

"Orchestrations were arranged by Sir Rodney Fenning, and Dame Eve English is a member of the Kings Lynn Players," a woman stated on a program running on one of his TVs behind him, "So tune in again next week for more from the 'What's My Line' team. And that brings us to the end of programming for today. So, from all of us here at Alexandra Palace, a very good night."

Magpie sat up and sighed as the program ended, "Two hundred pounds overdrawn," he muttered as 'God Save the Queen' played in the background. He tore out a page from his ledger and tossed it away, "I need a miracle."

~8~

Young Tommy Connolly sat on the sofa of his sitting room, his Gran on an armchair by the wall while his mother sewed by the window, "He's a caution, that one!" his mother laughed, listening to the radio, "He does make me laugh."

"Oh, our Lord and Master," Gran remarked with a smile as Tommy's father entered.

"Rita, I'm off," he called to his wife as he straightened his tie and checked the war medals on his chest.

"Dad…" Tommy looked up to him, lifting his pamphlet of 'Radio Enthusiasts' to him, an advert for a TV on it.

"Oh how many times, son? We'll _see_!"

"But _everyone's_ getting a telly, dad! Even Mr. Gallagher. And the Bells at number 67."

"Well, perhaps we'll get one for the coronation," his father reasoned as Tommy grinned, "If you're lucky!" he pointed a finger at his son as his wife turned and smiled, "We'll see," he ruffled his son's hair before turning to his wife, "Don't wait up," he stepped out of the room, leaving the women and his son to their discussions.

"I heard they rot your brains," Gran told Tommy in reference to the TV, "Rot them into soup, and your brain comes pouring out of your ears. _That's_ what television does."

~8~

Magpie slept, face down at the counter, right on top of his ledger, when a bright red bolt of electricity struck his TV aerial, one of the TVs behind him blinking on, the woman from the program on the screen once more, "Mr. Magpie," the woman called, "Oh Mr. Magpie!"

Magpie stirred, blinking blearily as he sat up, "Eh?"

"Yoo hoo! Can you hear me, Magpie?"

"Yes…" he began suspiciously, turning to see the woman smiling at him, "I must be dreaming..."

"Oh no, this isn't a dream."

"I'm going doolally then."

"Not at all, sweetheart. Now, are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then we'll begin."

Three bolts of red electricity flashed out from the television onto his face, the woman laughing while Magpie shouted in agony, his face being pulled towards the screen.

~8~

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS, dressed in a pair of hot pink, high heeled shoes, black stockings, and a bright pink poofy skirt. She fixed her jean jacket and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, just smoothing out her 50s outfit as she looked around, "I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know, the white flares and the..." she growled, smirking in thought, "Chest hair."

The Doctor stuck his head out of the TARDIS doors, his hair gelled back in a teddy-boy style, "You are kidding, aren't you? You wanna see Elvis, you go in the _late_ 50s! The time _before_ burgers," he disappeared back inside, "When they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist," Rose just laughed, "What's more, you see him in style!"

A moment later the Doctor rode out of the TARDIS on a blue late-50s moped, followed by Angel on another one. Rose laughed in amusement as the Doctor stopped, wearing big sunglasses and a white helmet. Angel pulled her own light blue helmet off to look at him as well. She had gone a slightly different route than Rose in terms of dress, deciding on a light blue 50s 'housewife' theme. She had a three-quarter sleeved dress on that seemed like a robe in the front but only until the empire waist, a white belt, and a flowing skirt that went down to her knees. She had white heels on and white gloves as well as a pearl necklace to complete the look, her hair up in a French twist instead of simply clipped back as it normally was.

"You goin' my way, doll?" the Doctor asked Angel, winking at her as he put on an Elvis accent.

She was just...stunning, in her outfit of choice. She really had taken to her promise to dress for the times, even got Rose to agree to it for this trip. They'd disappeared into the TARDIS an hour ago and hadn't emerged till only moments ago. He thought Rose's outfit suited her, 50s with a hint of spunk, but Angel's...his hearts stopped when he saw her. It was just...so her. Modest, yet flattering, simple yet fashionable, typical yet unique. He had to admit his hearts gave a rather strong thump when they started working again at the thought she'd dressed the part of a housewife, emphasis on the wife. Her appearance gave the impression that she was a respectable woman, and taken, not as flirty as Rose's. He appreciated that because then all the world, without even realizing it, would know she was _his_.

He'd actually surprised himself at the force of that thought. She was HIS. He was HERS. And that was the way it was meant to be. No one in the Universe would change that, he wouldn't let them, he would never let anyone hurt her, he loved her too much to see her harmed. And he'd blinked, realizing something. With all the mess with the Cybers and then Mickey's departure...he hadn't told Angel what he'd been meaning to say after they'd met Reinette, that he loved her. He was certain she knew already, but...he wanted to SAY it, to _hear_ her say it in return. He'd smiled and decided that he would see if he could get Elvis to sing 'And I Love You So' for them and, right at the end, tell Angel that he loved her. That would be PERFECT! He was practically buzzing to get out there and find the man.

She laughed, gesturing to the moped, "Wouldn't go anywhere else," she smiled, making him beam and blow a kiss to her.

"What about you?" he turned to Rose who was smiling softly at them, happy to see Angel smiling again.

Mickey's departure had hurt them both badly though, she suspected, none of them more than Angel. She had truly grown attached to her companion, loved him in her own way as a pilot always did their companion, and missed him terribly already. She supposed it also didn't help that, while Angel had lost her companion, the Doctor hadn't lost his and the Time Lady was forced to see him still with his companion while hers was lost to another world. Not that Angel would EVER wish that on the Doctor or anyone. Still, she tried her best to make the Time Lady feel better, sticking more with her on the last few adventures, reminding her that even though Mickey was gone, she still had her and that it didn't matter whether or not she was Angel's companion, she was still the girl's _friend_. The same as it had been when Mickey had been Angel's companion but Angel had remained her friend.

"Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" Rose asked, putting on a pair of pink sunglasses, "Straight from the fridge, man!"

Angel laughed, putting on her helmet again as the Doctor tossed Rose a light pink one of her own, "I couldn't understand a word of that," she told Rose, "Must be speaking the lingo eh?"

Rose nodded, "Yeah well...me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday," she added, sitting behind the Doctor on his moped.

"Ah, Cliff!" the Doctor nodded, "I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan."

"Nope," Angel shook her head, "Still no idea who he is," before she blinked and smiled, "Can we go meet him after we see Elvis?!"

The Doctor laughed and nodded, "Anything for you," he smiled at her, making Angel blush and Rose 'aww.'

He beamed happily at that, pleased with himself for getting that out of her. He knew Angel missed Mickey as well and he was doing all he could to cheer her up, whatever she asked, he'd do, no matter what. But...it was more than that though, that feeling had originated long before Mickey the Companion had even been an idea in Angel's mind. He truly would do anything for her.

They both drove off down the street, keeping equal distance alongside each other, "Where we off to?" Rose shouted over the engines.

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios. Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it."

"And that'll be TV studios in, what, New York?"

"That's the one!"

Suddenly a red London double-decker bus drove past them at the end of the street. The Doctor stopped and looked around to see strings of Union Flags hanging everywhere.

"Digging that New York vibe!" Rose laughed.

"Well...this COULD still be New York. I mean this _looks_ very New York to _me_...sort of...a um..."

"A Londony New York?" Angel raised an eyebrow at him, amused.

"What are all the flags for?" Rose asked, eyeing them.

~8~

Tommy and his parents sat in their sitting room, watching their new television far less enthused than they ought to have been as 'Muffin the Mule' began to play.

"Smashing!" Mr. Connolly stood up, "Smashing, innit? You'd have thought they was in the room with ya, eh? Fair do's Tommy, you had a point! New television! There, that should cheer you up a bit, Rita. Give us a smile, then, eh?"

"I can't," she whispered sadly, "Nothing's the same anymore, not with her…"

" _Stop_ going on about it!"

"But her _face_ , Eddie!" Rita looked at him, heartbroken, "What _happened_ to her? That awful face..."

"I said _stop it_!"

There was a series of taps coming from the room above and they all looked up.

"She's awake..." Rita breathed, glancing at her son, "I think she's hungry..."

~8~

Magpie threw open the doors of his van as two errand boys pulled a television out and carried it into a house as the owner of said house looked on, pleased, "There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion," Magpie smiled.

The Doctor and Angel walked over, arm-in-arm, as Rose walked with them, "The great occasion?" the Doctor called, sliding his arm from around Angel's waist to her hand, "What d'you mean?"

"Where've you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course."

"What coronation's that, then?"

"What d'you mean?" Magpie laughed, "THE coronation."

"The Queen's," Rose hissed at him, "Queen Elizabeth!"

"Oh!" the Doctor's eyebrows shot up, "Oh, is this 1953?!"

"June the 1st," Angel muttered to be exact.

The Doctor glanced over to see her staring intently at Magpie who had noticed as well and fidgeted under her gaze.

"Something wrong deary?" the man asked, laughing a bit, "Something on my face?"

"No," she shook her head, frowning, "Nothing…there's _nothing_ there…"

The Doctor frowned, something about her words seemed off, like she wasn't just commenting about the _appearance_ of his face but his _actual_ face. Though, while his attention was focused on Angel, hers was on Magpie as he visibly stiffened at her words, his eyes wide.

"Look at all the TV aerials..." Rose cut in, looking around, "Looks like everyone's got one. That's weird, my Nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house."

"Not round here, love," Magpie smiled, thankful for the change of topic, breathing a little easier, "Magpie's Marvelous Tellies, only five quid a box."

The Doctor looked around at the house, thinking, before suddenly smiling, "Oh but this is a BRILLIANT year! Classic!" he turned to Angel, beaming as he took both her hands in his, squeezing them in excitement, "Technicolor," he kissed her left hand, "Everest climbed," and then her right, "Everything off the ration!" and then pulled her closer to kiss her completely, positively grinning as he pulled away, "The nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!"

Rose and Angel laughed at that...when someone screamed.

"Someone help me, please!" a woman called, rushing out of her house, "Ted!" they looked over to see a man with a blanket over his head being pushed into the back of a police car by two large, official looking men, "Leave him alone, it's my husband!"

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked as they ran over.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Tommy shouted, running out of his house as well at the noise.

"Police business, now get out of the way, sir!" the head of the police stated before getting into his car.

"Who did they take, do you know him?" Rose asked the boy.

"Must be Mr. Gallagher..." Tommy remarked as the car drove off, "It's happening all over the place. They're turning into _monsters_..."

"Tommy!" Eddie shouted, striding out of the house, "Not one _word_!" Angel frowned, eyeing the man closely as Rose and the Doctor looked between him and his son, "Get inside now!"

"Sorry, I'd better do as he says..." Tommy muttered, before turning and heading in.

The Doctor put his sunglasses on again and ran to his moped, kicking it into life, "All aboard!"

Rose and Angel ran over, Rose hopping on behind him as Angel started up her own, both of them driving off after the black car as it sped around a corner.

~8~

"Operation Market Stall, go, go, go!" the officer called into a radio.

A metal gate opened at the end of the street, allowing the black car through and closing behind it as two men pushed a wooden market barrow in front of it and started sweeping.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel rounded the corner, coming to a stop at the sight of the sweepers, "Lost 'em!" the Doctor muttered, "How'd they get away from us?" he looked over at Angel to see her standing up from her moped, frowning at the wall with a look on her face that clearly told him something was wrong. Not to mention he could feel the faint buzzing of her mind trying to work out whatever feeling she was getting at the moment.

Their mental link was actually starting to come along a little more. He'd managed to get a sense of her mind, a faint pressure in his own when she tried to connect to it. He'd even managed to get a few words past her mental defenses and to her mind, sometimes even full sentences. However, she was still having a little trouble doing the same with him. She was getting closer though, he could just tell, she'd get it soon, they just needed that first connection and then they'd be able to work on strengthening it, letting it grow. He couldn't wait!

"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving," Rose commented, "Have you actually PASSED your test?!"

Angel blinked and turned to Rose, almost incredulous, "Have you _seen_ him fly the _TARDIS_?"

The answer to that was quite obvious to all: no, he had not.

Rose laughed, "Can I ride back with you instead?" she asked Angel, poking the Doctor playfully.

"Men in black?" the Doctor shook his head, ignoring them, "Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia!"

"Oh!" Angel gasped, turning to the Doctor with a wide, eager look in her eyes, "Can we meet Winston Churchill?" she pleaded, "Please! You've met him yes? You could introduce us all!"

He laughed and nodded, "You're making quite the list," he remarked.

She smiled, "Well...I've never really been interested in learning about things other than TARDISes before," she reached out and took his hand, "Till you," she told him, "You make everything much more interesting," he started to smile, "Usually more dangerous than they should be," she added, making him pout, "But much more fun. And I'm never scared," she admitted.

He blinked, "No?"

"No," she shook her head, smiling softly at him as she squeezed his hand, "I feel safe with you. I know you'll protect me. You'll look out for me, like I'll look out for you."

He smiled a that, "That we will."

"Monsters, that boy said..." Rose murmured, her gaze still on the sweepers, not having noticed their moment as she tried to work out herself what was going on, "Maybe we should go and ask the neighbors."

"Brilliant idea Rose," Angel nodded.

"That's what I like about you," the Doctor smiled, "The domestic approach."

"Thank you…" Rose grinned, before something of the Doctor's words dawned on her, "Hold on, was that an _insult_?"

~8~

Magpie stood before a number of televisions in his shop, staring at the one in the middle, "I've finished it, as you instructed..." he said, laying a device that appeared to be a cross between a portable radio and a TV onto it.

"That's awfully good of you, Mr. Magpie," the woman appeared on screen.

"So you'll go soon? Leave me?"

"Oh, we'll see! If you're a very good boy."

"Please..." he grabbed his face, "You're burning me...inside...behind my eyes, it hurts! Even my _memories_ hurt! I just want things back like they used to be!"

"Oh, but this world of yours is busy, busy, busy! Forging ahead into a brand new age, you can never go back! That's your tragedy. But now, the time is almost ripe, Magpie. Cometh the hour, cometh the man," she laughed coyly, "Or _lady_..."

~8~

Tommy approached the bottom of the stairs to the second floor nervously, climbing them as quietly as he could till he reached the top. He paused when the banging started again, glancing down at the shadows under the door of a room, "Gran?" he called, stepping closer with a key in his hand, "Gran, it's me. It's Tommy. I'm gonna come in, Gran. Stand back...just don't...I'm sorry, but I've gotta come in."

"What d'you think you're doing?" his father demanded, appearing behind him.

Tommy spun around, "We've gotta try and _help_ her dad!"

"Gimme that key!" he demanded but Tommy didn't move, "I _said_ give me that key, right _now_ ," Tommy slowly walked towards him and held out the key. He snatched it and pocketed it, glaring at his son, "Don't think I'm finished with you," he threatened, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and pulling him down the stairs where his wife stood up from the sofa, "All the warnings I've given you, and every time, EVERY time, you disobey me!"

"We can't just lock her away!"

"Excuse me sunshine, I am _talking_! And you can _forget_ that college nonsense. You're going to come and work alongside _me_ , get your hands dirty for once!"

"Oh Lord!" Rita moaned as a bang sounded upstairs, "Won't she ever stop?!"

The bang continued again and again as Rita seemed near tears.

"There there, Rita, my sweet," Eddie stepped up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Business as usual. Now let's get these up all over the house," he gestured to a string of Union Flags, "In honor of her Majesty!"

"But Eddie, what if she's _dying_?" she whispered.

"I AM TALKING!" he exploded. The room fell silent and Eddie calmed, "That's better. A little bit of hush..."

And then the doorbell rang.

Eddie tensed and strode to the front landing, opening the door to see the Doctor, Rose, and Angel standing there, grinning at him, "HI!" they said in chorus.

"Who are you, then?" Eddie eyed them suspiciously as Tommy appeared behind him.

"Let's see then, judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore, we represent Queen and Country!" the Doctor held up the psychic paper with a flourish, "Just doing a little check of her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day. Don't mind if we come in? Nah, didn't think you did, thank you!" he shoved past Eddie and into the sitting room, Angel and Rose following, though Angel paused to cast a quick glance at the staircase, "Not bad, very nice! Very well kept! I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs..."

"Connolly," Rita replied, timid.

"Hello," Angel shook her head from the staircase and moved over to the woman, shaking her hand, "Nice to meet you."

Rita smiled a bit at the polite woman, shaking her hand as well.

"Now then Rita, I can handle this," Eddie joined them in the room as well, Rita's smile falling, "This gentleman's a proper representative!" the Doctor gave Rita a wink as Rose sat herself on the arm of the sofa, Angel stepping away from the woman and just looking around the room, "Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit."

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more," the Doctor suggested as Tommy and Eddie both looked shocked, he just continued, "I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty," he glanced over at the flags lying in a box, "Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"

"There we are Rita," Eddie glanced at his wife, "I told you, get them up, Queen and Country!"

The Doctor looked skeptical as Rita started, "I'm sorry…"

"Get it _done_! Do it _now_."

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor began.

"Like the gentleman says…"

"Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mr. Connolly. Two big hands! Why is that your _wife's_ job?" he asked, feeling slightly disgusted by the man's attitude. Angel, for lack of a better Earth term, was as good as his wife and he would never _ever_ treat her the way this man was treating his wife, expecting her to just do all the house work, not even pausing to think to help, ordering her about, yelling at her. He actually felt a bit ill thinking on that, he respected Angel, loved her, too much to just assume something like that.

Marriage was a _partnership_ in _every_ sense of the word.

And this man, he eyed Eddie, this man was treating it more like an _ownership_ , like he owned his wife, like his wife owed him something.

It wasn't right.

"It's housework, innit?"

"And that's a woman's job?"

"Course it is!"

"Mr. Connolly, what gender is the Queen?"

"She's a female."

"And are you suggesting _the Queen_ does the housework?" he smirked, shooting a wink at Angel, making her blush a bit at his implication, that she was his queen.

Angel looked away, trying to lessen her blush, and over at Tommy who started smiling as the Doctor got the better of his father.

"No!" Eddie shook his head, "Not at all!"

The Doctor handed him the flags, "Then get busy."

"Right, yes sir," Eddie took the flags, feigning enthusiasm as he went to put them up, "You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right, and center!"

Rose got up, hands on her hips, as she faced the man, "'Scuse me, Mr. Connolly, hang on a minute! Union _Jacks_?"

"Yes, that's right, isn't it?" Eddie looked back at her.

"That's the Union _Flag_. It's the Union _Jack_ only when it's flown at _sea_."

Tommy's smile grew into a full blown grin as Angel winked at him when even Rose got the better of his father.

"Oh...oh, I'm sorry, I do apologize!" Eddie muttered.

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man," Rose nodded, "Now get to it!"

Eddie quickly turned back to the flags as Rose smirked at the Doctor and Angel. The Doctor moved over to the sofa, sitting on the side closest to the wall as Rose sat on the other side, Angel walking to sit on the arm of it beside the Doctor, "Right then!" the Doctor smiled, "Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" he leaned over to Rose, "Union Flag?"

"Mum went out with a sailor," Rose remarked.

"Oh ho ho ho," he smirked, "I bet she did!" he looked back at the room, "Anyway, I'm the Doctor, this is Angel," he wound his arm around her waist, "And this is Rose."

"And you are?" Angel turned to Tommy with a smile.

She knew exactly what it was like to have someone having a conversation in front of you but not include you in it. Her father and her sister would often be the same way, forgetting she was there or just not asking her opinion anyway. It hadn't really bothered her, most of the time they'd talk about things she had no interest in, like politics or some other such topic. The only time she really forced her way into a conversation was when they'd discuss TARDISes because that was _not_ something she would just sit by and let them make decisions about, not her TARDISes. It always felt like her father and sister seemed to forget the boxes were living creatures, with souls of their own, so she took it upon herself to rise to their defense when the situation called for it.

"Tommy," Tommy replied, a bit surprised to be included in an adult conversation.

"Nice to meet you as well Tommy," Angel nodded.

"You too," Tommy smiled.

The Doctor and Rose scooted further apart to make room for him to sit with them as the Doctor called, "Well, sit yourself down, Tommy," Angel gestured to the other chair by the wall for Rita to sit as well as they all turned to the television, save Angel who was eyeing Rita intently, "Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" Tommy grinned.

"Good man," the Doctor nodded as they watched the program, "Keep working Mr. C!"

"Mrs. Connolly," Angel called quietly, leaning forward, putting a hand on Rita's arm in comfort, "Tell us what's wrong."

"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita looked up at the Doctor.

"Yes I am," the Doctor nodded.

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?"

"Now then Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know..." Eddie spoke up, overhearing them.

"No, the gentleman _does_!" the Doctor argued.

Rita suddenly burst into tears. Rose got up and moved to her side, sitting on the left armrest, wrapping and arm around her to comfort her as Angel moved off her own armrest to kneel beside the woman, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder, rubbing it, "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong," Angel whispered softly, placing her other hand on Rita's, squeezing it, the Doctor smiling softly as he watched her.

"I'm sorry," Rose added encouragingly as Rita shook her head helplessly, "Come on, come on..."

"Hold on a minute!" Eddie yelled, "Queen and Country's one thing, but this is _my_ house!" he looked at the flags he was holding before throwing them to the side, "What the…what the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor!" he strode forward to stand before the Doctor, "You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under _my_ roof is _my_ business!"

"All the people are being bundled into…" the Doctor began scathingly.

"I am _talking_!"

The Doctor stood, "And I'm not _listening_!" he screamed in the man's face, furious, "Now you, Mr. Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark PIT of trouble if you don't let us help," Eddie stepped back, clearly shaken as both Tommy and Rita looked scared of him, not sure what to do, "So I'm _ordering_ you, SIR, to tell me what's going on!"

Eddie floundered, trying to think of a reply, when the banging sounded upstairs once more. Everyone looked up at that.

"She won't stop," Eddie breathed.

"She never stops, does she?" Angel asked, eyeing the man carefully.

"We started hearing stories," Tommy began to explain hesitantly, "All round the place. People who've... _changed_. Families keeping it secret 'cos they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just...turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night."

"Show me," the Doctor said.

Tommy nodded, standing and walking out of the room, the Doctor following as Rose headed out with Rita, Eddie as well. Angel got to the bottom of the stairs...when she hesitated, turning back and walking into the sitting room, looking at the TV warily as though waiting for something.

~8~

Tommy led them down a corridor, towards a door at the end, opening it and peeking around cautiously, "Gran? It's Tommy," he opened it wider, allowing the Doctor and the others to see the darkened room, a silhouette of his grandmother standing by the window, "'S'alright Gran, I've brought help," he stepped in more and turned on a light to reveal his grandmother, standing there, with no face at all, all the features gone, the skin just smoothed over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will say this, the Doctor's realized he has yet to actually tell Angel he loves her 'in his own person' as Reinette had mentioned. He's definitely NOT going to forget that again. This will be the episode where our beloved Thella. Doctor/Angel finally tell each other how they feel! Won't say when though :) But...the Wire's coming up. I can't wait for you to see the Doctor and Angel's reaction to it all :)


	26. The Idiot's Lantern: A Stolen Face

Rose gasped at the sight of the faceless woman as the Doctor stared, brow furrowed, stepping forward and peering at the blank face, "Her face is completely _gone_ ," he murmured, pulling out the sonic to scan her, "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been..." he let out a breath, "Wiped clean."

"What're we gonna do, Doctor?" Tommy asked, frantic, as the Doctor put the sonic away, "We can't even _feed_ her!"

"Doctor!" Angel's shout came from downstairs as there was a crash of people forcing their way in.

"We've got company..." Rose muttered.

"It's them, they've come for her!" Rita cried, scared.

"What was she doing before this happened?" the Doctor asked hurriedly, turning to Tommy and Rita, Eddie waiting in the hallway at the top of the stairs, "Where was she?" Rita hesitated, distracted, as the police clambered up the steps, "Tell me, quickly, think!"

"I can't think!" Tommy shook his head, "She doesn't leave the house! She was just…"

A large, burly man and an officer strode into the room, heading right for Tommy's Gran.

"Hold on a minute!" the Doctor stepped in front of them, "There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One…"

The burly man just punched the Doctor across the face, knocking him out.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, kneeling beside him, trying to wake him as the man threw a blanket over Tommy's Gran and ushered her down the stairs.

"Leave her alone!" Rita cried, trying to stop them, but the men just shoved past her, "Mum!" she rushed down the stairs after them.

"Doctor!" Rose slapped his cheeks as Tommy ran out after his mother, desperate to get him up, "Doctor!"

"Don't hurt her!" Rita shouted as the men reached the car, only to have her husband block the door.

"Back inside Rita!" Eddie pushed her back.

"She's my _mother_!"

"Back inside _now_ , I said!"

~8~

Rose slapped the Doctor's cheek once more and he suddenly jolted up, "Ah, hell of a right hook!" he shook his head, "Have to watch out for that!" he stood quickly and bolted down the stairs, passing the sitting room where Angel had jumped back from the TV, staring at it with wide eyes as red electricity crackled around it, unobserved by anyone else save Rose as she stopped in the doorway to call to Angel.

"Don't fight it, back inside!" Eddie was shouting, trying to move Rita and Tommy back in.

The Doctor just ran out to his moped, "Rose, come on! Angel let's go!"

"Get back inside!"

"Angel…" Rose gasped, making her way into the room slowly, her eyes wide as she too saw the red electricity shoot back into the TV suddenly, "What was that?"

"But dad, they _took_ her!" Tommy continued to argue and struggle with his father.

"Go back inside, don't fight it..." his father ushered him.

"Rose, Angel, we're gonna lose them again!" the Doctor shouted as he fastened his helmet on.

Angel ignored him, moving closer to the TV, "Help me move this," Rose dashed forward, helping her shove the TV away from the wall.

"Dad, they took her!" Tommy squirmed, "That was _Gran_ and they took her!"

"Come on, back inside now," Eddie tried again.

The Doctor waited only a moment longer, before taking off in pursuit of the car, trusting that Angel would lead herself and Rose to him later.

"There…" Angel breathed as they spotted the red bolts buzzing along the wires in the back of the TV, right over the label reading 'Magpie Electricals.'

Tommy, Rita, and Eddie entered the room once more, "How did they _find_ her?" Tommy frowned, "Who told 'em?"

"You two!" Eddie snapped, noticing the women still there, his booming voice making them jump, "Get the hell out of my house!"

"We're going, we're done!" Rose yelled as she and Angel stood up.

"It really was very nice to meet you Tommy," Angel smiled at him and Rita, "And you, Mrs. Connolly," before frowning at Mr. Connolly, "You...not so much. I don't like you."

Eddie gaped, offended, about to explode when Rose spoke up as well.

"And as for _you_ , Mr. Connolly," Rose stepped right up to him, getting in the way of his glaring look at Angel, "Only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down. Shame on you!" she grinned cheekily at the man before grabbing Angel's hand and pulling her out of the house. Both girls ran to Angel's moped, getting on and heading off to find Magpie's shop.

~8~

The black police car swerved around the same bend as before, heading through its secret gates as the same wagon and sweepers stepped out. The Doctor pulled up, eyeing it, realizing what had happened, realizing that there was no way the sweepers would be out at that time of night, sweeping the _same_ area, it wasn't _that_ dirty, "Oh, very good!" he nodded appreciatively, "Very good!"

He quickly rode his moped around the side of the building, parking it and walking around till he reached a small gate at the side. He flashed the sonic over it, breaking the lock and entering. He paused, seeing two police officers locking up some cage doors. He waited only a few moments after they left before walking over to the cage to see a group of people standing there with no faces, unclenching and clenching their fists, Tommy's Gran standing in the middle of them. He stepped into the cage and they all started shuffling towards him, surrounding him, when a bright light beamed on behind him. He turned around and squinted through the wires of the cage, seeing a policeman standing in front of a car's headlights.

"Stay where you are!" the head officer shouted.

~8~

Rose and Angel cautiously entered Magpie's shop to see the man adjusting a TV set on the counter, well, Rose saw him, Angel's attention however had been pulled to a series of TVs set up just behind the man.

"Oh, I…I'm sorry," Magpie said nervously, looking up when he noticed them, "I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door."

"Yeah?" Rose asked, shutting the door anyway, "Well, we wanna buy a telly."

"Come back tomorrow," he looked down at the TV, " _Please_."

"You'll be closed, won't ya?"

"What?" he looked at her, confused.

"For the big day? The coronation..."

"Yes, yes, of course. The big day. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."

"Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you're practically _giving_ them away."

"I have my reasons."

"And what are they?" Rose eyed him suspiciously.

"Better question," Angel breathed, staring at a television in the middle of the screens, "What are _they_?"

Before he could answer in confusion, the very same TV that Angel was looking at turned itself on and the woman from the program appeared, "Hungry!" she called, " _Hungry_!"

Rose spun around to look at it, "What's that?"

Angel frowned, stepping just a bit closer to the program, eyeing it.

"It's just a television," Magpie tried to wave her off, "One of these modern programs. Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!"

"Not until you've answered our questions," Rose shook her head, turning back to him, "How come your televisions are so cheap?"

"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching! Imagine that!" Rose smiled, not convinced, as Magpie grew more urgent, "And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh? So why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?"

"Nah, we're not leaving 'til we've seen everything."

"I need to _close_."

"Mr. Magpie something happened to the people who bought your TVs," Angel pulled her gaze away from the program that had seemed to be watching her, "Ordinary people with their faces stolen and the only new thing in their houses is a television. _Your_ television," she eyed the man intently, stepping over to him, away from the TV that really did seem to be watching her, and over to his side, resting a hand on his arm, "We _can_ help you but you _need_ to tell us what's happening first."

He sighed, shaking his head as he got up and walked past her, staring out the window of the door to his shop a moment, "I _knew_ this would happen," he muttered, "I _knew_ I'd be found out," before he locked the door.

"Alright, then, it's just you and us..." Rose began cautiously, tensing, locking them in...that was _never_ a good sign, "You gonna come clean, then? What's _really_ in it for you?"

"For me? Perhaps some peace."

"From what?"

"From HER," Angel breathed, looking at the program once more, seeing that it really WAS watching her, watching them all.

Rose frowned, "That's just a woman on the telly, that's just a program."

"It's _more_ than that," she took a step towards it, "She's alive."

"What a pretty, little, clever girl," the program grinned.

"Oh, my God," Rose gasped, moving right over to the TV to inspect it, "Is she talking to us?"

"Yes," the woman nodded, "I'm talking to you, little one. Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?"

"Rose don't get too close," Angel warned, eyeing the program, "What _are_ you?"

"I'm the Wire. And I'm hungrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy!" the program bared her teeth and red bolts of electricity shot out, straight at Rose…

Until Angel reacted, pushing her out of the way.

Rose hit the ground, hard, looking up in horror as the bolt hit Angel instead, sucking at her face.

"Oh my God!" Rose shouted, pushing herself up.

"Rose run!" Angel's voice strained to call out, her hands clutching at her face as though to stop the Wire.

"Just think of that audience tomorrow," Magpie frowned, tears actually appearing in his eyes as he watched the girl's fate unfold, "All sitting down to watch the coronation. Twenty _million_ people. Things will _never_ be the same again," his voice broke, "I'm sorry. _So_ sorry."

"Run…" Angel whispered to Rose, her body starting to stiffen, "Go!"

Rose looked torn, before dashing past Magpie, knocking him to the side so she could unlock the door and run out. She wouldn't be able to help Angel if she got caught too but she wasn't about to abandon her either so she ducked into a small alley just outside the shop to wait and watch.

~8~

"Start from the beginning," the head officer stood over the Doctor, who sat on the other side of his desk, glaring down at him, "Tell me everything you know."

"Well...for starters..." the Doctor began seriously, "I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet."

He had to smile at that, that was probably something Angel would have done, she was starting to rub off on him...much like he had her apparently, he'd never seen her so eager to learn about things as now. He suspected though, that it might also be her way of coping with Mickey's departure, she'd fixed dozens of things in the TARDIS and probably just needed something else to focus on too.

"Don't get clever with me! You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now, you're connected with this. Make no mistake."

"Well, the thing IS, Detective Inspector Bishop…"

"How do you know my name?"

"It's...written inside your collar," the Doctor nodded at the man's neck as he adjusted his collar, "Bless your mum. But, I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly _doing_ much detective inspecting. Are you?"

"I'm doing everything in my power…"

"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can. Don't tell me, orders from above, hmm? Coronation day...the eyes of the world are on London Town...so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight," he twisted himself from side to side a little on the chair, completely relaxed, as Bishop started to look irritated.

"The nation has an image to maintain."

"Doesn't it drive you mad? Doing nothing? Don't you wanna get out there and investigate?"

"Course I do. But..." he plopped down, "With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the manpower. Even if we did...this is...beyond anything we've _ever_ seen," he shook his head, "I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force..." the Doctor leaned forward, listening, "...I don't even know where to _start_. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on."

"Well...that could change."

"How?"

The Doctor stood up and looked down at Bishop with a smile, "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know."

~8~

A black car pulled up to the police warehouse, two men getting out and pulling a woman out of the backseat, a blanket over her head, as another woman got out in tears, struggling in the second man's grip.

~8~

The Doctor and Bishop stood by a large map speckled with dots of the locations the faceless people had been found in, "We started finding them about a month ago," Bishop was explaining, "Persons left sans visage. Heads just...blank."

"Is there any sort of pattern?" the Doctor frowned, flipping/reading through a file.

"Yes, spreading out from North London. All over the city. Men, women, kids, grannies...the only REAL lead is there's been quite a large number in…"

"Florizel Street."

Just then there was the sound of someone struggling just outside the door to the office.

"No!" the Doctor heard Rose shouting, "Let me go! I need to help her!"

There was a knock at the door, "Found another one, sir," a policeman said, opening the door. He half-shoved, half-pulled Rose into the room.

"Rose?" the Doctor's brow furrowed, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Rose started crying, "She saved me…I couldn't help her, I _tried_ but…"

"Rose what's going on?" the Doctor asked, a feeling of dread creeping up in him, his hearts starting to race, ice water feeling like it was flowing through his veins, "Rose...where's Angel?"

Just then another police officer led a woman in, covered in a blanket but a familiar light blue skirt and white shoes peeked out from under it.

"Oh, er, good man, Crabtree," Bishop said, "Here we are, Doctor..."

The Doctor just let the files fall out of his hand and to the floor in his shock, striding over to the blanket, not wanting to believe it...

"Take a good look. See what you can deduce."

Crabtree lifted the blanket off to reveal Angel standing there, sans face.

The Doctor's eyes widened in horror as he ran the rest of the way to her, "Angel..." he breathed, reaching out to cup her face, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to pick up _some_ sort of sensation from her, _anything_ …but there was _nothing_ …the brain was wiped clean.

His hearts stopped. The _brain_ was wiped _clean_. There was _nothing_ there. Nothing at all. Whatever it was that was happening had taken everything that Angel had. Her beautiful smile, her warm eyes, her laugh, her mind, her soul...it had left her an empty _shell_ of the incredible woman she was. He stroked her cheek softly, his hearts constraining painfully as he felt the too-smooth skin.

This _couldn't_ be happening, it just couldn't, not to Angel.

He couldn't _lose_ her.

How could this have happened? She should have sensed it coming, avoided it...and then Rose's words drifted back to him, Angel had _saved her_. Whatever it was that had taken Angel's face had intended to take Rose's but Angel, true to herself, had gotten in the way.

"Do you know her?" Bishop asked, watching the man's reaction.

" _Know_ her?" he shook his head, "She's my _Mate_ …" he stared at her, tears filling his eyes as the voices of Bishop and Crabtree faded out, he even found himself deaf to Rose trying to explain what had happened. Everything, all their words, were _meaningless_.

 _Everything_ was meaningless.

In that single moment he could feel his entire world crashing down around him, wiped out like Angel's face had been. It wasn't that her features were gone, no he wasn't that petty, though he could admit she was beautiful to him. It was that everything that made her _Angel_ had been taken away. Everything he loved about her. She was gone, just her body remaining, and it _hurt_. It hurt _so much_. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He needed to get her back, he _had_ to, she was his life, his entire world, he _needed_ her more than he could possibly express.

"They found her in the street, apparently," Crabtree's voice managed to cut through, "Over at Master Square, this one trying to lead her somewhere, wouldn't leave her side."

"That's unusual," Bishop agreed, "That's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake."

The Doctor blinked out of his heartbroken gaze as Crabtree's words finally registered, "They did _what_?" he interrupted, coldly.

He could feel it. The anger rising, the fury, the determination to save her, to find whatever it was that had taken her from him and make it pay a thousand times over, make it _suffer_. He _would_ get her back if it was the _last_ thing he _ever_ did and it didn't matter to him who or what got in his way, he _would_ save her. She was his Mate and he would protect her to his last breath. Heaven help anyone who harmed her because the fury of a Time Lord could be a terrible thing to witness, and the devastation of one's Mate coming to harm could spark a fire within them, unleash the oncoming storm.

It was as they said, devastation often left chaos in its wake.

"I'm sorry?" Bishop looked at him, taking a step back at the coldness in the man's voice.

"They left her _where_?" the Doctor nearly growled.

"Just...in the street," Rose answered quietly, sensing his mounting anger, "She told me to run, but I didn't, I waited outside and she was just tossed out and…"

"Into the street," he breathed heavily, "They left her in the _street_. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the _street_. And as a result, that makes things... _simple_. Very, _very_ simple. Do you know why?" he tore his gaze away from Angel's face, pulling his glasses off, an expression that would send most men running for their lives on his face.

"No..." Bishop said slowly, actually backing away from the fuming man.

"Because NOW, Detective Inspector Bishop!" the Doctor shouted, furious beyond anything he had _ever_ felt, "There is no power in this _Universe_ that can _stop_ me. Rose look after her," he nodded at her before turning and rushing out of the room, "Come on!"

~8~

The Doctor and Bishop burst out of the gates and into the dawn.

"The big day dawns..." Bishop breathed.

The Doctor didn't reply, just stalked off, leaving Bishop little option but to run after him. He hadn't listened to Rose, hadn't been able to hear much of anything, and he was not about to waste time turning around and running back in. So he rushed off to the only person he could think might know what was going on...

~8~

A small boy fiddled with the television in the Connolly house, a little girl slapping his hand away as the room crowded with people, friends and family all come to watch the coronation.

Eddie strode through the front door, closing it behind him as Rita approached, "You've had your fun with your little Doctor..." he threatened her, "But now you're left with _me_ , Rita. So you'll behave yourself. And _smile_."

Too scared to do anything but obey, Rita fixed a smile on her face as they entered the crowded sitting room.

"Here we go, everyone!" Eddie cheered, "Here we go! Grub's up, grub's up, tuck in, take a sandwich," he glanced at the TV to see the first footage of the coronation playing, "Oh, here we go, here we go, it's started! Take your places, sit down, sit down."

"Rita, love!" a woman remarked as they all sat down, "Just LOOK at that tellybox then, eh? Innit MARVELLOUS? The picture's so clear!"

"Here, Beth, I says to Rita, I says, 'You didn't need to get your hair done special, love! The Queen won't be able to see you!'" Betty and Eddie shared a laugh at that.

Rita, though clearly not impressed, smiled politely anyway, while Tommy just looked affronted at the joke.

"Where's your old mum, then? She can't go missing it!"

"Sorry, um..." Rita glanced at Eddie, "Mum can't make it down."

"Ah, bless her. Maybe we could pop up and see her later."

"Maybe you _could_ ," Tommy agreed, pointedly looking at his father, "It's a good idea. What do _you_ think, dad? Maybe Aunty Betty could go and see Gran later?"

Eddie fumed at him silently, till Betty turned to him, and then he was all smiles, "Oh, he loves his Gran, this one. Proper little mummy's boy all round!"

"Oh, you know what they say about THEM," Betty laughed, "Eddie you want to beat that out of him."

Eddie laughed as well, "That's _exactly_ what I'm gonna do," he threw a threatening look at Tommy, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Tommy jumped up and went to answer as everyone else watched the TV. He opened it to see a silently fuming Doctor standing there with a rather startled and slightly frightened looking Bishop.

"Tommy, talk to me," the Doctor said seriously, but trying to be calm so as not to frighten the boy into not helping, as Tommy stepped out of the door, closing it behind him.

It was difficult though, _every_ instinct of his was telling him to find the thing that hurt Angel, force it to fix her, and then tear it to pieces. His entire being was _screaming_ at him to tear down _each_ and _every_ obstacle to save her, to do _whatever_ it took for that to happen. It was alarming, or it should have been, to him for _him_ to feel that way, it was so _unlike_ him. But this was _Angel_. _Everything_ was different when it came to her.

Nothing else in the world mattered, not the Earth, not the humans, not even Rose if it meant Angel would be safe.

It was the Mating instinct, he knew. Somewhere in the back of his mind he recognized the fact but he didn't care. It was the natural drive of a male Time Lord to protect their Mate once the process began. Forging the mental link was only the first step, each and every step would pull them closer and closer, tie them to each other more and more. That drive, that fierce determination, to protect her would only get stronger as the Mating process continued. Their mental bond...to allow another person to even _touch_ your mind, they would become a part of you, so much so that to be cut off from them would leave you feeling empty. Their presence in your mind would become so prominent, so reassuring, that you'd feel the lack of it that much more and you'd do anything to get it back, to get them back.

"I need to know exactly what happened inside your house," he ground out, struggling to keep from exploding at something.

His Mate was in danger and he was standing there talking to a _human_ , albeit a human that could help, but still, every moment spent talking was another wasted.

Eddie suddenly opened the door and rounded on Tommy, "What the blazes do you _think_ you're _doing_?"

"I wanna _help_ , dad," Tommy replied.

"Mr. Connolly..." the Doctor said warningly, not about to let _anyone_ get in the way of him saving Angel. If the man didn't let Tommy talk...well...he could scarcely be held responsible for his actions.

"Shut your face, you...whoever you are, we can handle this ourselves," Eddie glared at him, the Doctor stiffening, about ready to punch the man when he turned back to his son, "Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here _respect_ me. It MATTERS what people THINK."

The Doctor's fists clenched, his hearts racing so fast he was sure they would beat out of his chest. He could hear them pounding in his ears, his breathing coming in labored as he began to shake. His mind was racing but all he could hear was _Help Angel. Save her. Save his Mate. Help AngelSave herSave his Mate. HelpAngelsavehersavehisMate._ Over and over and over in his mind, growing stronger with every beat of his hearts...

He needed to DO something!

But Tommy did it first.

"Is that why you did it, dad?" Tommy replied, taking a stand to his father. He could tell that something had to have happened. The Doctor was angry, he was _scared_ , and he was driven to find out what was going on. At best, he could guess that one of those girls he'd been with must have also been taken, spurring the man into action. And he wanted to help. If it could save the girls then maybe it could save his Gran and all the other people who had been taken too.

"What d'you mean? Did what?"

"You ratted on Gran. How _else_ would the police know where to look? Unless some _coward_ told them..."

"How DARE you?! You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"

"You don't get it, do you? You fought AGAINST fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you _get_ it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could DO what we want. SAY what we want. Now you've become _just like them_. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation."

"Eddie...is that true?" Rita asked, having come out to check on them.

The Doctor's fists clenched even more as more humans came to talk, a clock ticking away in the back of his mind reminding him of how much time had passed, how long Angel had been without her face for. Even a _second_ was too long.

"I did it for US, Rita!" he defended, "She was FILTHY. A filthy, disgusting THING."

"She's _my_ _mother_. All the others, you informed on all the people in our street, our _friends_ …"

"I _had_ to. I did the _right_ thing..."

"The right thing for us...or for _you_ , Eddie?" Rita asked before turning to Tommy, "You go, Tommy. You go with the Doctor and do some _good_. Get away from this house. It's _poison_. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, alright, but it weren't my mother!"

Close to tears, Rita turned back inside and slammed the door in Eddie's face.

"Tommy?" the Doctor motioned for him to join them, needing to move, needing to do something active.

~8~

Rita took a breath before heading back into the crowded sitting room, "What was all that, then?" Betty looked up at her.

"That was..." she sat down, "That was the sound of something ending. And about time too. Everyone alright?" she looked around as the crowd nodded, "Smashing. Nothing's gonna spoil our big day, is it?"

They all turned back to the TV as the Queen's carriage rolled through.

~8~

The Doctor walked swiftly down the street, Tommy and Bishop rushing to keep up with his long strides, "Tommy, tell me about that night," the Doctor urged, "The night she changed. Tell me _everything_."

"She was just watching the telly," Tommy shook his head.

The Doctor stopped, looking up at the TV aerials, "Rose said it. She guessed it straight away and Angel...there was NOTHING there!" he ran a hand through his hair, thinking of what Angel had said about Magpie's face, "She KNEW he was up to something. Of COURSE she did. His face...and all these aerials in one little street..." he spun to Tommy, pointing at the aerials, just needing _one more_ piece of confirmation, "How come?"

"Bloke up the road, Mr. Magpie, he's selling them cheap..."

Tommy had _barely_ finished when the Doctor took off down the road.

"Is he, now?" Bishop looked at Tommy.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap! ANGEL was taken?! :O Watch out Wire, the Doctor is coming for you. Didn't I warn you about their 'reactions?' :) I really wanted to take him down a 'darker' path here, make his reaction that much more alarming/driven/threatening. You gotta love the Oncoming Storm eh? :) Have to say, this won't be the last time we see him, I do so love writing him :) And with Mating, we get a bit more of a 'primal' instinct to protect...and yes, I do giggle at that word too lol :) If THIS is how he is at just the FIRST step in Mating, can you imagine how much worse he'll be later on if anything happened to Angel? Oh boy.
> 
> For some reason, I always see 11 as being more 'The Oncoming Storm' than 10, I think it's because he goes from so playful to so threatening and you can sort of see the 'darkness' in him even when he smiles, while with 10 you can really see him in the process of getting angry so it's not as shocking, at least to me.


	27. The Idiot's Lantern: The Crowning Moment

The Doctor smashed his fist through the glass of Magpie's shop door, unlocking it and bursting in, not even noticing the cuts and grazes appearing on his knuckles from the shards of glass, they didn't matter, the _only_ thing that mattered was getting Angel back.

"Hey, you can't do…" Bishop chastised before trailing off when the Doctor turned a murderous glare on him, "Never mind."

The Doctor turned back to the shop, striding into the room and up to the counter, "Shop?!" he shouted, pressing the bell on the counter over and over with his fist, "If you're here, come out! Face me! MAGPIE?!"

"Maybe he's out?" Tommy offered, trying to calm the man who seemed so almost...out of it...with rage.

The Doctor just tensed, looking around the shop, "Looks like it..." he muttered darkly at the fact he wouldn't get to wring the man's neck at the current moment. But then he realized, if Magpie wasn't there, then he couldn't stop them from searching the place. He ran behind the desk and riffled through some drawers, half-tearing one out and throwing it on the floor at the sight of just papers. There had to be SOMETHING there!

And then he found it.

He pulled one more drawer open to see some sort of portable radio/TV device and grabbed it, "This isn't right," he murmured, thinking it might have something to do with what happened to Angel, "This is very much not right," he licked it, much to the surprise of Tommy and Bishop, "Tastes like iron. Bakelite!" he placed it down on the counter and pulled the sonic from his pocket, needing more information, needing to know exactly what it was for, if it could help him save Angel, "Put together with human hands, but the design itself..." he scanned it quickly, the sonic whirring softly, "Interesting..." he frowned, "Simple."

It was...odd...to not feel the usual excitement he often did whenever he found something new just begging to be explored and studied. He should have been tickled to find such technology in the current time, examining the genius behind it, but he _couldn't_ muster it. Not when it might very well be the thing that had harmed Angel. No. Right now all he wanted to do was tear the place apart till he found a way to reverse what had happened.

"That's incredible," Bishop looked at it, "It's like a television, but portable. A _portable_ television!"

The Doctor lifted the sonic, pointing it around the room, following the trace he'd picked up from the portable device, as the wall of televisions turned on to static, "It's not the _only_ power source in this room...come on," he grumbled, stepping closer to the TVs, "Show me where you are..."

As the sonic flashed across them, the static on the tellies faded to reveal a different face on each of the screens, all looking terrified, all crying out for help. Men, women, children, all of them, he'd guess, with bodies out there that had no faces.

"Gran?" Tommy gasped, spotting his grandmother, confirming the Doctor's theory.

The Doctor walked past the screens, only to stop at the last column, his gaze trained on a screen in the bottom right corner, Angel's face. She was looking right up at him, as though knowing he would be standing there looking down at her. She was mouthing, 'Doctor! Be careful! Keep back!' over and over.

He knelt before the screen, reaching out to touch it, a sad, intense look on his face as his finger stroked Angel's cheek. Guilt rose up in him as he looked at her face. He hadn't told her. He hadn't told her he loved her as Madame de Pompadour had instructed him to. He was going to, but then Mickey left and she'd been heartbroken, it was always difficult losing a companion, even more so when said companion was your very first. He'd tried to take her mind off it with a score of adventures, only ended up taking his mind off of telling her as well, so distracted by trying to cheer her up. Really, he'd only wanted to see her smile again, he should have realized that telling her he loved her probably would have put the biggest grin on her face. And, he supposed, somewhere in the back of his mind, he also didn't want to take advantage of her either while she was still upset.

And now…if he _didn't_ save her, she would _never_ know.

And that _killed_ him.

"I'm on my way," he promised her, placing a kiss on his finger and pressing it to her screen, "I'll save you."

"What do you _think_ you're doing?" Magpie called, entering from the back of the shop, stopping short at the sight of the three people...of the police officer...standing before him.

The Doctor rounded on him, his soft gaze from looking at Angel transformed into a dark and dangerous one that promised retribution, "I want my Mate restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician so _tell_ me," he glared at the older man, leaning in closer in threat, "Who's _really_ in charge here?"

Magpie flinched at the anger directed at him when a screen flickered to reveal the Wire, "Yoo hoo! I think that must be me," the Doctor turned to her, just a little surprised but even more angry, an alien, _of course_ , "Ooh, this one's smart as paint."

"Is she talking to us?" Bishop asked as they approached the screen.

"Sorry gentlemen," Magpie frowned, "I'm...I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new...friend."

"Jolly nice to meet you," she waved.

"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly," Bishop's eyes widened.

"No, it's just using her image," the Doctor shook his head, disgusted.

He supposed he could be thankful for that at least, that whoever she was had chosen some random woman to communicate with them. Had she selected using the features of those she'd taken he very much doubted there would be a television left for her to communicate through. If the creature had _dared_ use _Angel's_ image, use her face against him...he truly _didn't_ know what he'd do but he knew it wouldn't be good.

"What...what are you?" Tommy asked.

"I'm the Wire," she replied, "And I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And, when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me."

Bishop gaped as the screen became colored, "Good Lord, _color_ television!"

"So your own people tried to stop you?" the Doctor glared at the screen, though he was growing a bit irritated with Bishop. Here he was, trying to save his Mate, and the human just kept going on about _the TV_?

"They _executed_ me," she corrected, "But I escaped, in this form, and fled across the stars."

"And now you're trapped in the television," he smirked as she faded to gray once more.

"Not for much longer."

"Is _this_ what got my Gran?" Tommy looked at the Doctor.

"Yes, Tommy," he nodded, his gaze hardening the longer he eyed the woman, "It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it _gorges_ itself like a great overfed _pig_. Taking people's faces, their essences, it _stuffs_ itself."

And she had taken Angel.

For that alone he would show her no mercy.

"And you _let_ her do it, Magpie?" Bishop turned to him, alarmed.

"I _had_ to!" Magpie cried, "She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation."

"What does _that_ mean?" Tommy frowned.

"The appointed time, my _crowning_ glory," she hinted with a wink.

"Doctor, the coronation!" Bishop exclaimed.

"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set," the Doctor approached her, gloating just a bit, "But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need _this_!" he held up the portable TV, "You need something more powerful! _This_ will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are!" she smirked, as though knowing just what to say to truly get to him, "Just like that girl was. Oh, but not clever enough was she? She couldn't escape _me_ ," she laughed as the Doctor's face darkened, "Oh but she was _tasty_ ," the Doctor's fists clenched, "But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me, you'll be _glued_ to the screen."

Beams of red electricity shot out of her TV and latched onto their faces, sucking them in.

"Doctor!" Tommy and Bishop cried.

"Hungry!" the Wire groaned, "Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah!" the red beams concentrated on the Doctor, "This one is as tasty as the girl. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!"

The Doctor strained to reach his hand into his pocket, pulling out the sonic.

"Armed!" she gasped, "He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!" the lights dropped them to the floor, retracting, "The box, Magpie! The box!" Magpie ran forward and grabbed the portable TV the Doctor had dropped, holding it up, "Hold tight..." she jumped through a beam of red light, into the box, "Conduct me to my victory, Magpie," Magpie dashed out of the shop, running to his van, placing the Wire on the steering wheel as he drove off, "Hungry! Hungry! _Feed me_!"

~8~

"So lovely!" Betty breathed as they watched the coronation proceed.

"Beautiful!" Rita nodded, "Makes you forget all your troubles. Everyone alright for pop?"

~8~

The Doctor groaned as he pushed himself up to see Tommy and Bishop on the ground, Bishop though without a face, "Tommy, wake up!" he shoved Tommy just a bit, "Tommy! Come on!"

"What happened?" Tommy rubbed his head, getting up...till the Doctor grabbed his arm and hefted him up himself.

"Where's Magpie? Where's the Wire? Where did they _go_?!" the Doctor nearly growled as he looked around before they both ran outside to see Magpie had fled.

"We don't even know where to start looking, it's too late."

"It's never too late," he muttered, "It _can't_ be. Too late means I've failed. Too late means Angel's gone. And she _can't_ be gone because I will NEVER fail her," he spun around, "The Wire's got a big plan...so it'll need..." he unclenched his fists, trying to think, trying to think of anything besides what it would mean if he failed, he had to focus, but it was so...hard, "It's got to harness half the population...millions and millions of people...and where are we?"

"Muswell Hill."

"Muswell Hill...Muswell Hill!" the Doctor spun around again, "Which means..." and then he spotted it, "Alexandra Palace, biggest TV transmitter in North London! _That's_ why they chose this place! Tommy..."

"What are you going to do?"

"You're gonna help me stop her!" the Doctor shouted, dashing back into the shop, "Come on!"

~8~

The Wire chuckled malevolently as the van drove on through the streets.

~8~

"Is this what you want?" Tommy held up a small bulb to the Doctor as they gathered equipment in Magpie's shop.

"Perfect!" the Doctor nodded, handing the pile of items to Tommy, "Right, I need one more thing."

~8~

Magpie winced as he drove on.

~8~

"Got it, let's go!" the Doctor shouted as he and Tommy ran out onto the streets, loaded with equipment.

~8~

Magpie stopped his van, grabbing the portable TV and jumping out. He ran up a flight of metal stairs to the transmitter near the Palace.

~8~

Tommy and the Doctor ran down the street towards the Palace, the Doctor putting together some sort of device as Tommy carried the rest of the equipment.

~8~

Magpie climbed up the transmitter with a huge effort, sweating. He stopped, looking down at the Wire, "I can't do this! Please... _please_ don't make me!"

"The time is at hand," she shouted, "Feed me! _Feed me_!"

~8~

"There!" Tommy yelled as they reached the Palace, pointing up at Magpie, already climbing a pylon.

"Come on!" the Doctor called as they ran past an official guard.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the guard shouted, "Where do you think…" the Doctor just flashed him the psychic paper, "Oh! I'm sorry sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

"They're saving me a seat!" he yelled as they ran around a corner.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked.

The Doctor looked at the paper, "King of Belgium," he dashed into the control room of the Palace, gathering all the leftover equipment he needed, setting Tommy up in front of a video machine and a television screen, "Keep it switched on. Don't let _anyone_ stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. I'm counting on you," he squeezed Tommy's shoulders, " _Angel's_ counting on you. Your Gran. You understand?" Tommy nodded and the Doctor sprinted out of the room, back around the corner, past the official, and up the stairs, trailing a stream of magnetic recording tape behind him from a reel around his waist.

"You'll get yourself killed up there!" the guard shouted as he began to climb the pylon after Magpie, "Your Majesty!"

~8~

Magpie just reached the main plugs as the Wire cried, "Feed me!"

He plugged his TV into the main current, the Wire laughing triumphantly.

~8~

All across the country TV aerials emitted sparks, shooting red beams out to all the TVs of people watching the coronation, pulling them in, the Connollys included.

~8~

"Oh!" the Wire moaned, "Feast! Feast…ing! The Wire...is feasting."

"It's too late!" Magpie shouted at the Doctor, as the sound of people screaming reached them, "It's too late for all of us!"

"I shall consume you...Doctor!" the Wire shrieked, blasting him in the face with the red energy.

He cried out in pain, turning away a moment before glaring up at them, not about to let something like _that_ stop him, he had a mission, he was going to save is Mate and _nothing_ would keep him from doing that, especially not a spark of electricity, "I won't let you do this, Magpie!"

"Help me Doctor!" he pleaded, "It burns! It took my face, my soul!"

"You cannot stop the Wire," she gloated, "Soon I shall become manifest," she blasted the Doctor again but he hung on.

"No more of this! You promised me peace!"

"And peace you shall have," she agreed, striking Magpie with the energy, vaporizing him, laughing as he screamed.

The Doctor reached out to touch the portable TV but was stung by red sparks, "Waste of energy. You've overextended yourself now by sending that blast at Magpie," he picked up the TV, ignoring the zap to his foot, "Nice try," he smirked darkly, "Rubber soles!" he inserted a switch into the TV.

~8~

Tommy jumped back as the machine the Doctor had made sparked and broke.

~8~

The Wire laughed, "Oh dear! Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?"

The Doctor stared at the TV, stunned, his hearts breaking.

No...it _couldn't_ have...

 _Angel_...

~8~

Tommy turned and grabbed a replacement bulb, plugging it back into the machine and starting her up.

~8~

The Doctor watched as the light beams retracted from the pylons, right back into the portable TV, the Wire twitched and twisted in pain. He pulled out his sonic, flashing it at the TV, the Wire starting to scream as the energy struck her instead, "Folding the electrical impulses back," he told her, watching with a dark satisfaction as the alien suffered, as he made her suffer, "You feel what THEY felt!"

She deserved it, tenfold.

~8~

The Connolly family felt their faces, shocked, disoriented, but unharmed.

~8~

Tommy grinned, realizing the plan was working.

~8~

"It's closed down, I'm afraid," the Doctor shouted to the Wire, "And no epilogue!"

With one last shriek the Wire's television switched off, the Doctor smiling in victory at it.

~8~

"Rose?" Angel frowned, shaking her head, blinking, a bit disoriented.

Rose gasped as she looked at Angel to see her features restored, "Angel!" she cheered, hugging the woman tightly.

"What happened?" Angel pulled back, "Where are we? Where's the Wire?"

Rose's eyes widened as she remembered, "Come on!" she shouted, pulling her out of the room. They ran down the stairs of the station to see the people in the cage feeling their faces, restored as well, Rose beaming, the Doctor had done it!

~8~

Tommy watched the coronation from one of the screens when the Doctor stepped into the room, "What have I missed?" he asked.

"Doctor!" Tommy gasped, spinning around, already able to see a lighter quality to the man's countenance, "What happened?"

"Sorted. Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form, that's me by the way. I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here," he pulled out a home video from the machine he'd made, "I just invented the home video 30 years earlier. Betamax," he glanced at the TV, "Oh look! God save the Queen, eh?" he smiled a moment before shaking his head, "Now, let's go find _my_ Queen."

Tommy smiled lightly at that, he could see how much the Doctor loved and respected Angel. He could only hope that, one day, he'd meet a girl he felt the same about, that he'd be able to treat her the way she deserved to be treated, like a Queen, like his father ought to have treated his mother.

~8~

The Connolly family watched the coronation ceremony ending, beaming in pride as their new monarch took the throne.

~8~

Tommy and the Doctor moved briskly down the street where the Connollys lived to see people milling around, reuniting with their loved ones, "Gran!" Tommy called before running over to his grandmother, hugging her tightly.

"Look, it's my grandson!" his Gran beamed, "Oh son!"

The Doctor looked around, spotting Rose's blonde hair first, the small smile on his face blooming into a full blown beam as he saw Angel standing there beside her, face returned. She looked over and her _face_ just _lit_ up at seeing him. He ran to her, scooping her into his arms as he spun her around, hugging her tightly. Rose laughing at the sight, clasping her hands together and pressing them to her mouth, tears in her eyes, _so_ happy everything had worked out. The Doctor set Angel back on the ground, but kept her in his arms, holding her close, burying his face in her neck as she did the same, a smile blooming on his face as he felt her _smile_ into his neck. He took a deep breath, taking in her lovely scent, finally able to breathe again now that she was back and in his arms once more. A few moments later though they pulled apart, the Doctor's hands trailing down her arms to take hold of her own.

Angel looked down, blushing at the intense look he was sending her as he stared at her face, as though trying to memorize it. She frowned suddenly, pulling his right hand to her and taking it in both of hers, there were cuts all over it! She lightly ran a finger along one of the nastier cuts causing him to wince. She looked up at him, concerned, "What _happened_?"

He should have expected this. Of course this would be her reaction. HER face had been stolen, SHE'D been attacked, and there she was asking if HE was alright.

"I um…" he shifted a bit, now able to remember his actions. It was all such a blur when it was happening, he couldn't really feel much except a fierce anger and desperation, couldn't really think straight except for the mantra that he had to save Angel playing over in his mind, but now, looking back on it with a clearer mind he could see everything he'd done, how he'd acted, "I punched in a window to break into a shop."

She frowned, shaking her head, "Didn't you have the sonic on you?"

"…um…" he blinked, realizing that he HAD had the sonic right in his pocket at the time, "Didn't really think to use it," he admitted. He'd been so worried, so afraid, so _angry_ , he _hadn't_ thought, at all, he just wanted to get into the shop and save her as quickly as he could.

She reached out and cupped his cheek in one hand, turning his head to face her, "Next time, use the sonic. I don't care what's happened to _me_ , I don't want _you_ hurt because of it, ok?" he nodded and she smiled, kissing him on the cheek, "Just take the time to _think_ , I know you'll save me. I trust you," he practically beamed at that, when she lifted his hand and placed a soft kiss upon his knuckles, "Feel better?"

"What?" he laughed.

She frowned, "Isn't that what Earth mothers do when their child gets hurt? They kiss it to make it better...or did I get that wrong again?"

"No," he smiled, touched, "No, that's right. But, uh, I'm not your child though."

"And I'm not your mother," she shrugged, "But the kiss can still help yeah?"

"Oh yes," he nodded, cupping her face in his hands, "Though I think a slightly different kiss might work better," he whispered, pulling her closer, kissing her deeply, relishing in the fact that he could, that she was fine and safe and with him once more. He was panting when he pulled back, his cheeks a bit pink, realizing they were technically standing in the middle of hundreds of people, but beaming widely despite that, before pulling her into his arms for one more hug, gesturing Rose over to join them, making it a group hug.

~8~

Rita stood facing Eddie in their now deserted sitting room, holding a battered suitcase, "This was never _your_ house," she told him, "It's in _my mother's_ name. And on her behalf I'm telling you...out," she placed the suitcase between them on the floor.

Eddie slumped in defeat and picked it up to leave.

~8~

50s music played as people on the street danced and talked amongst themselves. The Doctor, with his arm firmly around Angel's waist, still keeping her close, strolled past with her and Rose, looking at the tables covered in pastries, cakes, drinks, everything.

"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," Rose offered.

"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance," the Doctor munched on a small Victoria sponge, Angel with a cookie in her own hand, " _This_ is history right here."

"The domestic approach," Angel smiled at her, nudging her.

They all shared a laugh as Rose hesitated asking the next question, knowing it must be a touchy subject as it had _just_ happened, "Will it...that thing...is it trapped for good, on video?"

"Hope so," the Doctor remarked, his face darkening for a moment before Angel squeezed him round the middle, reminding him she was there, that he'd saved her. He smiled down at her, dropping a kiss onto her hair, before turning to Rose, "Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern."

"You…what?" Rose asked, even Angel looked confused.

"I'm going to tape over it."

"Just leave it to me, I'm always doing that," Rose laughed.

"Tell you what Tommy," the Doctor said, stopping by where the boy was leaning against a table, "You can have my scooter. Little present. Best...um...keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"

Tommy smiled...when he caught sight of his father stepping out of the house, suitcase in hand, "Good riddance."

They glanced over to see Eddie walking away, "Is that it then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world, no room for a man like Eddie Connolly."

"That's right. He deserves it."

Rose and Angel exchanged a look, both of them sensing the unconditional love he still had for his father beneath his words, "Tommy, go after him," Rose nudged him.

"What for?" he looked at her.

"He's your dad," Angel said, as though it explained everything. And it really did, his father was family, it didn't matter if he was the best dad on Earth or the worst, he was the man who gave the boy life. She admitted, she didn't have the _best_ relationship with her father, but she made it work, she _tried_ , and, near the end, it had almost been like he'd finally seen her as a daughter. Tommy had the chance to build a new relationship with his father and, who knew, it might end up being one that would make both better men.

"He's an idiot."

"Course he is," Rose nodded, "Like Angel said, he's your dad. But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world so don't stop there. Go on!" she and Angel smiled at him as Rose nudged him once more, Angel nodding encouragingly.

Tommy nodded, running off to join his father, walking side-by-side as he took the suitcase from him.

They watched fondly from a distance before the Doctor handed Rose and Angel a glass of orange juice, the three of them clinking their glasses together, smiling.

~8~

Angel watched the Doctor as he stood at the console from her spot on the captain's chair, "Rose told me," she said softly.

"About?" he asked, not turning around, focused on something.

"What happened," she continued, eyeing him, "How you reacted when they took me to the station," she watched him stiffen, "It's alright Doctor," she got up and moved over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, wanting to comfort him, thinking his uncharacteristic silence was a result of regret for how he'd acted around and treated the humans, "It was a natural reaction, especially for you," she rubbed his arm, "Males ARE typically more volatile when their Mate's are in danger, it's why females are more calm, to temper their anger and..."

"It's not that," he cut in softly, "I don't regret how I acted. At the time, given the situation, it was justified," he reasoned, "I'm not..." he sighed, trying to find the words, "That's not what's on my mind..."

"Then what's wrong?" Angel frowned, confused, before she smiled, "Oh, that sounded strange not coming from you directed at me," she laughed a bit, trying to cheer him. She should have known it was something more than just the humans, _he_ was currently attempting to fix something on the TARDIS console this time, and she knew, from her own experience, it was something she could do, and often did, when something was truly bothering her.

He turned and just smiled at her, just eyeing her a long moment, before reaching out a hand. She took it, stepping towards him as he pulled her to him gently. He reached out his other hand, lightly tracing her face, "I love you," he said softly.

Her eyes widened, of all the things she expected, that was _not_ what she thought he was going to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. That's what's wrong. That I waited _so long_ to say it, to _tell_ you. But…after today…coming so close to…" he broke off, unable and unwilling to think about that, about how close he'd come to losing her to the Wire, "I just wanted you to know."

She nodded slightly, looking down at his right hand, the knuckles already scarred over, lifting it to her lips to drop a kiss on it, the intention behind _this_ kiss FAR different than when the wounds had been fresh, the sentiment much more felt. She closed her eyes in serious concentration. He frowned, watching her seem to struggle with something, before he felt it, that tickle in his mind, that small pulse he felt when she tried to touch his mind...but _stronger_. She tugged the hand she was still holding and pulled him towards her, resting her forehead against his own for help, needing just a _little_ more contact to break through...

'... _I...love you...too..._ ' he heard whispered across his mind, quiet though it was, it was still _there_.

He beamed at her, laughing with joy. That was the _first_ time _she'd_ been able to connect to _his_ mind and actually _speak_. They'd been working on the mental bond for _weeks_ now and could sense each other's minds, but not thoughts, not words, or at least he couldn't from her. He pulled her towards him, peppering her face with kisses, making her laugh her beautiful laugh before truly giving her a proper kiss, pulling away quite a few moments later to just hug her tightly, his hearts swelling at the fact that her first words to him through their bond was that she loved him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you squealing? I know I am. They FINALLY told each other! AND! The mental bond is starting to shape up :) Did you love the Doctor? I hope it was believable in what he did to the Wire at the end. I really love the Oncoming Storm, he's just SO much fun to write because I get chills doing it. I love how he can be this amazing man but the 'darkness' in him gives him that edge and depth :) 
> 
> Next chapters will be The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit...my FAVORITE 2-parter episodes of Series 2. I'm really excited for how Angel shakes things up, especially where Toby's concerned :)


	28. The Impossible Planet: Welcome to Hell

The TARDIS groaned and wheezed as she landed, almost finding it a difficult thing to do. The Doctor, Angel, and Rose stepped past the doors and looked up at it, "I dunno what's wrong with her, she's sort of..." the Doctor began, "Queasy. Indigestion."

"It's like she didn't want to land," Angel agreed, stroking the corner of the old box, "She _really_ doesn't want us to be here…" she tilted her head, eyeing the box, "What's wrong girl? Why don't you want us here?" she asked the box, as though it could actually respond.

Well, the Doctor supposed, it sort of could. TARDISes were alive, they had a matrix, a psychic connection to its pilots, and Angel had always been more intuitive when it came to the old box. She always knew what was wrong with the TARDIS, where to go to fix it, if the box was damaged, if it was angry, if it was happy...though HE knew if it was angry too...the doors tended to snap shut on him whenever the TARDIS seemed cross with him. But Angel was talking like the box would actually speak to her. But, then again, he truly didn't doubt that she might actually get an answer from the TARDIS, just...more of a 'feeling' than an actual verbal answer. The TARDIS wasn't THAT psychic.

"Well if you think there's gonna be trouble," Rose started, serious, "We could always get back inside and go somewhere else..." she and the Doctor started laughing, as though the very idea were absurd, what was the point of an adventure if they just turned around whenever one presented itself?

However, they quieted soon enough when they saw Angel _wasn't_ joining in.

"This isn't a good place," Angel remarked quietly, still eyeing the TARDIS.

"Why?" the Doctor frowned.

"It just feels…" Angel shook her head, trying to find the words. She looked over her shoulder at the Doctor, "Dark."

The Doctor nodded, considering that, before taking her hand, squeezing it in promise, "Well, we'll look around for a bit, and if something happens, we'll head out first thing, yeah?"

Angel looked at him, she _really_ didn't like that idea. There was a terrible knot forming in the pit of her stomach that was starting to make her as queasy as the TARDIS. She didn't like _a thing_ about this place and they hadn't even stepped out of the room they'd landed in. She didn't like the walls, the ground, the room, the dim lighting, she especially didn't like how the TARDIS didn't like it either. She always got a sense that the TARDISes protected their pilots from things not even they could see, and if the TARDIS didn't want to be there, it must mean there was something there she was trying to protect them from. She knew though, that that meant danger was lurking somewhere and that the Doctor was loathe to give up adventures of any sort, especially dangerous ones. He just loved being the hero, helping others out of danger, and she loved that about him, that he cared _so much_ for others.

And...Rose was nodding as well so it was 2 against 1.

The Doctor looked around, "I think...we've landed inside a cupboard! Here we go!" he led Angel over to the door before dropping her hand to push it open, a corridor of some sort of base beyond.

"Open Door 15," a speaker stated.

Angel stared up at a rumbling noise overhead, frowning, before her gaze was pulled to a door at the end of the hall.

"Some sort of base...moon-base, sea-base, space-base...they build these things out of kits."

"Glad we're indoors, sounds like a storm out there..." Rose remarked, looking up at the thunderous noise outside as well.

"Open Door 16."

They looked over to see Angel opening another door and headed over to her, stepping through to yet another corridor.

"Human design, you've got a thing about kits," the Doctor continued, "This place was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier."

"Open Door 17."

They stepped through one more door and into a canteen, "Oh, it's a sanctuary base!" the Doctor moved into the middle of the room as Rose shut the door behind them.

"Close Door 17."

"Deep space exploration. We've gone _way_ out. And listen to that, underneath..." he pointed down at the ground where a faint hum resounded, "Someone's drilling."

"Welcome to Hell," Rose said, looking at the wall behind the Doctor.

"Oh, it's not THAT bad!"

"No," Angel shook her head, frowning as she pointed, "I think she meant over there."

The Doctor turned around to see 'Welcome to Hell' written on the wall with ancient symbols sketched underneath, "Hold on..." he frowned, walking over to it, "What does _that_ say?" he peered at it closely but the writing was still incomprehensible.

"It's not translating," Angel remarked, surprised.

 _That_ was _never_ a good sign when the TARDIS didn't know something. Which, of course, only made her more on edge and nervous, wondering whether the writing was just too old to be translated, which, if that was the case, meant an even larger danger was hiding than she previously thought, or the TARDIS just refused to translate it because of what was written, if it was a threat or something...evil. She knew the TARDIS could pick and choose what to translate. She knew the old box would never translate Gallifreyan, the language of their people being far too sacred for other species to hear, not to mention the language didn't need to be translated as the only ones who would speak it were her and the Doctor, and they just went with English around the humans. But she also knew that the TARDIS sometimes didn't translate Judoon either. Though THAT was mostly because the words were so short and halted that they were more like individual words than a sentence, which made it difficult to translate the verb tenses and other things of that nature. And the Judoon had translation technology of their own and would adapt to the language spoken most prominently around them.

But this language...just looking at it...she wasn't sure. She couldn't even say she hoped it was one over the other. If it was too old, then the danger was greater. If the TARDIS was refusing to translate it in an effort to protect them from something...then they would be left at a disadvantage of not knowing what's coming. She could only say that she hoped desperately it wasn't BOTH.

"But I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well," Rose shook her head, "We should see English."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded.

"If that's not working, then it means..." Angel reached out and touched one of the symbols. She knew the TARDIS would NEVER leave them in such a situation as to be unprepared, which meant she COULDN'T translate the language, which meant... "This writing is old. _Very_ old."

"Impossibly old," the Doctor stood and moved to another door, "We should find out who's in charge," he turned the wheel to the door, "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS's knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough…"

"Open Door 19."

The door opened and the trio gasped, seeing a horde of pale aliens there, with egg-shaped heads and tentacles standing on the other side.

"Right!" the Doctor nodded, trying to shake off his surprise, "Hello! Sorry! Uh...I was just saying, uh...nice base!"

"We must feed," the aliens said in chorus.

"You're gonna what?"

"We must feed."

"Yeah," Rose backed away, "I think they mean _us_."

They quickly stepped back as the aliens advanced, "We must feed," they turned and ran for the door they'd come through but it opened and more aliens came through, "We must feed. We must feed. We must feed," and then another door opened and more aliens entered, trapping them, "We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and aimed it at the aliens threateningly, tugging Angel behind him to protect her, as Rose picked up a chair to arm herself with.

Angel frowned, eyeing the aliens curiously from around the Doctor's arm. Something about them...it wasn't quite... _right_...

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

"Get back!" the Doctor glared at the aliens, feeling the flare of protectiveness surge through him at the thought his Mate might be in danger.

"Doctor…" Angel cut in, stepping to his side, "They mean no harm…" she frowned, casting another glance at the aliens, "At least for _now_."

"We must feed," one of the aliens said, shaking a white orb that was glowing in its hand, "You. If you are hungry."

The Doctor blinked, "Sorry?"

"We apologize. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems."

The Doctor nodded before turning to Angel, speaking quietly, "You said 'for now,' you think they'll be trouble later?"

"I think we should keep an eye on them," was all she said, neither confirming nor retracting her statement.

"Would you like some refreshments?" the alien asked as Rose put down her chair.

"Um..." the Doctor trailed.

"Open Door 18."

Another door opened and an older man came through, two others holding guns on either side of him. He stopped suddenly, spotting the three of them, "What the hell...how did..." he strode towards them, stunned, before holding up a wrist communicator, "Captain...you're not going to believe this. We've got PEOPLE _._ Out of _nowhere_. I mean, _real_ people. I mean three... _livin_ g...people. Just standing here, right in front of me."

The trio glanced at each other, a bit confused as to why he was making such a big deal about it.

"Don't be stupid, that's impossible," another man replied through the comm..

"I suggest telling THEM that."

"But you're a sort of space base, you must have visitors now and then," Rose shook her head, "It can't be _that_ impossible."

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?"

"No idea," the Doctor beamed, "More fun that way."

Angel shifted at that though, it wasn't always true, not knowing something. Well, with the Doctor's adventures it seemed to be, he loved learning new things as he went. But in other contexts, like her 'feelings,' it was another story. It could be quite frustrating to get one and not KNOW what it _really_ meant. Having a vague sense of something but not a complete idea could get rather irritating after a while and...sometimes...it left her feeling guilty when someone else got hurt and she knew, if she had understood her feelings, that it never would have happened.

Like with Magpie.

She had known something was wrong, off about him, about his face, about his tellies. If she had just understood what she'd been feeling, she never would have taken Rose to his shop, the Wire never would have attacked and stolen her face, she would have been able to go WITH the Doctor to face the man and alien. Maybe, she would have even been able to save the man who was just an unfortunate victim of an alien attack. Magpie was quite unlike the Editor of Satellite 5 as the Editor had willingly helped the alien harm the humans, almost gleefully, whereas Magpie had been forced and tormented into doing the Wire's bidding. No one deserved a fate like that and she would have given anything to have been able to help the man. But she HADN'T understood her feelings, she'd led Rose into danger, gotten her face stolen, terrified the Doctor, and been unable to do ANYTHING to really help.

And that killed her.

The Doctor didn't like endings. She didn't like death, especially ones that could be prevented.

"Stand by, everyone," a young woman came over the comm. now, pulling Angel back to the present, "Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way."

The base started to shake and groan when the man rushed over to a door, opening it, "Through here!" he shouted, "Now. Quickly, come on!" a siren sounded as the trio ran after him through the door with the two other guards, "Now!" they ran down another hall as it shook and smoke rose from the floor, "Move it! Come on! Come on, come on!" Rose screamed as she nearly fell, Angel grabbing her to keep her steady as they ran, "Move it, come on! Quickly! Move it!"

They hurried down the corridor and through another door into what looked like a control room where the crew was busy at work. Two men and a woman looked up when the three walked in, gaping, "Oh, my GOD," a black man breathed, "You _meant_ it."

"People!" a young woman exclaimed, "Look at that! Real people!"

"That's us," the Doctor grinned, putting an arm around Angel's waist and squeezing her in mini-celebration, "Hooray!"

"Yeah, definitely real," Rose nodded, "My name's Rose...Rose Tyler, and...and this is Angel and the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you," Angel offered.

"Come on..." a young Indian man made his way over to them, "The oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They _can't_ be..." he poked Angel's shoulder, making her sway back on her heels a bit, his eyes widening, seeing she was solid, "No. They're real!"

"Come ON, we're in the middle of an _alert_!" the black man called, impatient, "Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds!" he gestured to a computer screen where the time started to count down, "Sorry, you three, whoever you are. Just...hold on. Tight."

"To what?" Angel asked.

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on."

So Angel turned and held onto the Doctor, making him laugh and smile.

"Ood, are we fixed?"

The Doctor turned Angel, bracing them against the railing behind them, Angel getting the idea and grabbing onto _it_ instead as Rose took hold of the one across from them.

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated," one of the tentacled aliens said.

"What's this planet called, anyway?" the Doctor looked over at the crew.

"Now, don't be stupid," a middle aged woman shook her head, "It hasn't _got_ a name. How could it have a name?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, "You really _don't_ know, do you?"

"And...IMPACT!" the black man shouted.

The entire base shook violently, the crew, the Doctor, Angel, and Rose all hanging on as much as they could. It was a rather brief quake though, only lasted a few seconds.

The Doctor stood, "Oh, well, that wasn't so bad…"

Angel grabbed him, pulling him back to the railing a second before the base shook again, even worse than before. They all held on for dear life as small explosions blasted through the room, sparks flying, everyone thrown about till it finally stilled.

"Ok, that's it," the black man reported as the older man ran forward with a fire extinguisher, "Everyone alright? Speak to me. Ida?"

"Yeah, yeah!" the middle aged woman replied.

"Danny?"

"Fine," the Indian man held up a hand.

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine," a young man pulled himself up from the floor.

"Scooti?"

"No damage," the young woman announced.

"Jefferson?"

"Check!" the older man with the fire extinguisher shouted.

"We're fine, thanks," the Doctor cut in, checking on Angel and Rose, "Fine, yeah, don't worry about us."

"The surface caved in," the black man turned to the crew, ignoring the Doctor's remarks as he brought up graphics on the computer to show them, "I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department," Toby replied.

"Just do as I say, yeah?"

Angel frowned, watching as Toby left the room, irritated, shivering a bit as he made his way past them. Something about him felt _off_ , ominous even.

"Oxygen holding," Ida called, "Internal gravity 56.6. We should be ok."

"Never mind the earthquake," Rose looked around as the rumbling and thunderous noise she'd heard in the corridor grew louder, "That's...that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?"

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane," Scooti looked up, "There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

"Then what's shaking the roof?"

"You're not joking," Ida eyed them, stunned, "You really _don't_ know?"

"Why do they keep asking us that?" Angel asked the Doctor quietly, confused, wondering if that was another typical human mannerism that she'd not picked up on yet.

He could only shrug.

"Well, introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer," she pointed at the black man, "Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir...you've met Mr. Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock. Ethics committee."

" _Not_ as boring as it sounds," Danny defended as the trio smiled.

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, archaeology, and this..." Ida smiled at Scooti, putting her hands on the young woman's shoulders, "...is Scooti Manista. Trainee maintenance."

"…she's so young," Angel breathed sadly, staring at Scooti.

The Doctor looked at her, concerned, the way she had said it…it almost sounded like the girl was going to die or something.

Scooti just smiled at them, not having heard Angel's comment.

Ida walked over to a lever on the wall, "And this...this is home," she pulled it down and whirring started.

"Brace yourselves," Zach told them, "The sight of it sends some people mad."

A reddish light started to shine down upon them as a domed window opened above, revealing a black hole.

The Doctor and Angel stood, amazed, slightly bewildered, and even more alarmed at the sight, as Rose's mouth dropped open in shock, watching light get sucked into it, "That's a black hole," Rose gasped.

"But that's impossible," the Doctor shook his head.

"I did warn you," Zach smirked.

"We're...standing right under _a black hole_ ," Angel repeated.

"We're in _orbit_ ," Ida corrected.

"But we can't be..." the Doctor frowned.

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit."

"But we CAN'T be."

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss."

"And that's bad, yeah?" Rose looked at them.

"That doesn't even _begin_ to cover it..." Angel breathed, actually shaking a little.

She'd...she'd always had a bit of a fear of the dark. The things that lurked in it, the things you couldn't see...nightmares often lurked in the dark. Those little sounds and shadows that always seemed more sinister when you couldn't see their source. She couldn't begin to count the number of times she'd fall asleep in whatever TARDIS she was working in on Gallifrey, just because the day would fly by and she wouldn't want to walk back in the dark. The TARDIS console rooms always had a warm, comforting glow. And that was just it...she was mostly uneasy with the dark because it was just...there was just no _light_. Black holes...well, she'd always felt uneasy learning about them, to her, they were just the epitome of the dark, black, all encompasing, inescapable...void of everything warm and full of life and light.

"A black hole's a dead star," the Doctor turned to Rose, though taking Angel's hand, feeling her tremors beside him, wanting to comfort her, "It collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the Universe can escape it. Light, gravity...time...everything just gets pulled inside...and crushed," he moved his arm around Angel instead, knowing his words hadn't helped but knowing it wouldn't be fair to Rose not to know the true magnitude of what was happening.

He turned and pressed a kiss to the side of Angel's head, nuzzling his nose against her temple softly, before resting his forehead to her head, feeling her shakes lessen, though she was still tense.

"So, they _can't_ be in orbit," Rose reasoned, "We should be pulled right in."

"We should be dead," Angel stated quietly, still staring at the black hole.

This whole thing, this whole _planet_...it was driving her mad. It was like her feelings and sensations were heightened, like everything in her was telling her to get them away, all of them, but...she didn't know _why_. She knew the humans wouldn't listen to her without proof, they seemed to be a scientific bunch, they wouldn't believe the word of a 'psychic' and they wouldn't leave just because she said they should. And Rose wouldn't leave without her fellow humans, and she wouldn't let the Doctor leave without Rose though she knew, if he truly could sense the danger like she could, he'd have pulled HEr away to get HER safe even if it meant leaving Rose behind, because it was instinct. So...for now...she kept quiet, not wanting to frighten Rose, not wanting to alarm the Doctor, not wanting the humans to scoff at her and later ignore her or the Doctor. She was just...stuck.

And that black hole, staring down at her...it made her stomach shift uneasily, it was _wrong_.

It was _all_ wrong.

"And yet...here we are," Ida looked up, "Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome onboard."

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose pointed at a cloud moving towards the hole.

"Stars breaking up...gas clouds...we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing."

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then."

"Just a bit."

"Just a bit, yeah," Rose scoffed as the base shook once more.

~8~

Toby stepped out into one of the corridors, a pile of scrolls tucked under his arm.

"Toby…" a deep voice whispered.

He looked around, puzzled, not seeing anyone, when the lights flickered and went out, coming back on a moment later.

"Who's that?" he called, looking around, "Danny?" he waited a moment longer, before shaking his head and heading down the corridor, stepping back into the control room where the crew, the Doctor, Angel, and Rose were gathered around the control panel.

"Close Door 1."

Angel looked up at the door closing to see Toby walk in, "You alright?" she asked, eyeing him.

"Fine," he said quickly before turning to Zach, "The rocket link's fine."

Zach pressed a button on the controls and a hologram of the black hole appeared before them, the Doctor whipping on his glasses as Zach began to explain, "That's the black hole, officially designated K37 Gen 5."

"In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Kroptor,'" Ida added, "The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison."

"The bitter pill," Rose grinned, "I like that."

"We are so far out," Angel remarked as they looked at the diagram. She frowned, listening to Ida just then...that black hole...she couldn't help but feel like it really WAS a demon, it just...it wasn't RIGHT. It wasn't natural. It wasn't a normal black hole. There was just...something MORE to it...she could tell...

"Lost in the drifts of the Universe," the Doctor agreed turning to Zach, "How did you even GET here?!"

"We flew in," Zach explained, "You see..." he brought up another hologram of the planet, a gravity field funnelling out of it, "This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how, we've no idea, but...it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there," he pointed, "As a funnel. A distinct...gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. _That_ was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" Rose smiled, "Like a rollercoaster."

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart. We lost the Captain...which is what put me in charge..."

"You're doing a good job," Ida told him comfortingly.

"Yeah. Well, needs must."

"But...what if the funnel closes?" Angel frowned, a sense of dread filling her at the notion.

"Then there's no way out," Danny nodded.

"We had fun speculating about _that_ ," Scooti rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, _that's_ the word," Danny bumped her on the head with one of Toby's scrolls, "'Fun.'"

"But that field would take _phenomenal_ amounts of power!" the Doctor continued, completely stumped, "I mean...not just big, but off the scale! Can I..." he gestured at the controls.

"Sure," Ida handed him a calculator, "Help yourself."

Angel stepped over to the Doctor, linking her arm through his as she stood beside him as he worked away on the calculator, curious to see the calculations he'd use even if she probably wouldn't understand half of them, while Rose just wandered, looking around.

"Your refreshment," one of the aliens said, stepping up to her and handing her a small cup.

"Oh yeah, thanks," she took it, "Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"We have no titles. We are as one."

He turned and left as Rose looked at Danny, "Um, what are they called?" she gestured to the alien.

"Oh, come on," Danny laughed, "Where've you been living? Everyone's got one!"

"Well, not me, so what are they?"

"They're the Ood."

"The Ood?"

"The Ood."

"Well that's...ood."

"Very ood!" he laughed, "But handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance! They're born for it. Basic slave race."

"You've got _slave_ s?"

"Don't start, she's like one of _that_ lot," Scooti commented, smiling, "Friends of the Ood."

"Well maybe I am, yeah," Rose said, more than a bit annoyed, and slightly disgusted at the thought that humans in the future, some of them having _been_ slaves, would _have_ slaves, "Since when do humans need slaves?"

"But the Ood offer themselves," Danny continued, "If you DON'T give them orders, they just pine away and die."

One of the Ood approached Rose and she eyed it closely, "Seriously? You _like_ being ordered about?"

"It is all we crave," the Ood nodded.

"Why's that then?"

"We have nothing else in life."

"Yeah, well, I used to think like that. A long time ago."

"There we go!" the Doctor called, handing the calculator to Angel to see his work, "D'you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"That's a lot of sixes," Rose frowned, joining them back by the control panel.

Angel frowned and eyed the crew...there were _six_ of them, not counting the guards. Scooti, Ida, Zach, Jefferson, Toby, and Danny...and for some reason _that_ fact made the knot in her stomach twist even more, especially when she looked at Scooti, the youngest of the six, and Jefferson, the oldest.

"And it's impossible."

"It took us _two years_ to work that out!" Zach gaped at him.

"I'm very good," the Doctor replied.

"But...that's why we're here," Ida nodded, "This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it."

"It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale," Zach agreed.

"We could revolutionize modern science."

"We could use it to fuel the Empire," Jefferson nodded.

"Or start a war," the Doctor pulled off his specs.

"I'd go with fuel the Empire," Angel tried to smile, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach for now...but...she just couldn't help but feel like something bad had either happened or was going to happen...or both...lots of bad things actually.

She swallowed hard, she _really_ didn't like this planet.

"It's buried beneath us," Toby remarked, "In the darkness, _waiting_."

"What's your job?" Rose chuckled at him, not seeming to notice Angel's mounting discomfort, "Chief...dramatist?"

The Doctor smirked.

"Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena. And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the Human Race had even learned to walk."

"That stuff on the wall, the symbols," Angel eyed him, "YOU did that?"

He nodded, "I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it."

"No, neither could Angel or I," the Doctor muttered, "And that's saying something."

"Well, for you," Angel remarked, managing a little smile.

"There was some form of civilization," Toby explained, "They buried something. Now it's reaching out. Calling us in."

The Doctor beamed at them, "And you came."

"Well, how could we not?" Ida countered.

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here?" the Doctor asked as Zach switched off the hologram, "Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was THERE. Brilliant."

"Um, Zach?" Angel looked at the man, cutting off the Doctor slightly.

"That's me," he smiled.

"You might want to stand still," she smiled, before nodding at the Doctor, "Cos this one's gonna hug you."

"Is that alright?" the Doctor asked, ignoring the stares of the others.

"I s'pose so," Zach said slowly.

The Doctor edged towards him, "Here we go. Coming in," he threw his arms around Zach, hugging him, beaming, "Ah, human beings, you are amazing! Ha!" he pulled back as Rose and Angel chuckled, "Thank you."

"Not at all."

"But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags and get back in that ship and fly for your lives."

"You can talk!" Ida laughed, "And how the hell did YOU get here?"

"Oh, I've got this um...this..." the Doctor trailed off, not quite sure what to say, "It's hard to explain, it just sort of...appears."

"We can show you," Rose added, "We parked down the corridor from um...oh, what's it called? Uh, Habitation Area..."

"Three," Angel recalled.

"Three," Rose nodded, "Three."

"Do you mean storage _six_?" Zach frowned.

"Uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah," the Doctor nodded cheerfully, till something dawned on him, "Storage six, but you said...you said...you said storage _five_ to _eight_!"

"Oh my God," Angel breathed and, without another word, took off out of the room with the Doctor, Rose following them, realizing that storage six had been lost, destroyed in the quake...and with it, the TARDIS that they'd parked inside it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Angel, she REALLY doesn't want to be there does she? And she's already getting a lot of very bad vibes from quite a few things. I wonder if anything is going to change with her there? I'll say this, we've seen a hint of it in past chapters, small ways that Angel has changed the story. It's really going to start picking up here in these episodes :)
> 
> I hope the Doctor doesn't seem too OOC in not turning back and leaving when Angel sensed something of a danger there, given how set he was on protecting her and saving her in the previous episode. I sort of see it as...he knows a danger might be there, but that there are probably humans that would also be in danger and might get hurt if he doesn't help. It's almost like that instinct doesn't hit till his Mate is truly facing a danger or harmed. With the Wire, Angel was helpless and couldn't defend herself once her face was stolen, here he's with her to protect her and she's capable of at least reacting should a danger arise. And, in his mind, he might only have taken the fact that the planet was 'dark' as due to the black hole and that the Ood need to be watched but doesn't know exactly why. Hope that made sense lol.


	29. The Impossible Planet: The Army Rises

"What is it?" Rose called as they bound down the hall, the Time Lords frantic, "What's wrong?"

"Open Door 19."

The Doctor dashed across the canteen.

"Close Door 19."

He spun the wheel, trying to open the door back to the other corridor, "Stupid doors, come ON!" it swung open and he was out again.

"Open Door 17."

They rushed down the corridor, opening another door.

"Open Door 16."

"Doctor!" Angel called, "It won't work..."

But the Doctor shoved against the next one regardless, frantically pushing the button to open it but it wasn't working.

"Door 15 out of commission."

"Can't be, _can't_ be!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong?!" Rose cried, finally catching up to them, "What is it?" she watched as the Doctor opened a small round window in the door and looked through it, "Doctor, the TARDIS is in there. What's happened?"

"The TARDIS is gone," the Doctor backed away from the window, _devastated_.

"Door 15 out of commission."

"The earthquake...this section collapsed."

Rose stared at him, puzzled, "But it's _gotta_ be out there somewhere," she peered out the window, only to see the rocky, barren landscape.

"Look down," the Doctor commented and she did, only to see a canyon, "It's lost. Gone. Probably destroyed..."

"No," Angel shook her head, "No, she isn't. She's still alive."

The Doctor looked at her, wide eyed, he'd assumed the box had been destroyed in the quake, it was a LONG way down and that quake had been _violent_ to say the least, "What?"

"I don't feel like when we fell through the Vortex," she replied, looking at him, "The TARDIS may be _trapped_ down there, but she's _still_ intact, she's still _alive_. And if she's still alive...we just have to find her."

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Rose were back in the control room, the Doctor pleading with Zach, "The ground gave way. My TARDIS must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the _same_ way."

"We can't divert the drilling," Zach shook his head, turning away.

The Doctor stared at him a moment before moving after him, "But we NEED my ship. It's all we've got. Literally the only thing Angel and I have left."

"Please," Angel tried, "You've no idea how _important_ she is."

"Look, WE'VE only got the resources to drill ONE central shaft down to the power source, and that's it," Zach huffed, "No diversions, no distractions, NO EXCEPTIONS _._ Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that...is the _end_ of it."

He walked away, Ida approaching the Doctor, who looked completely helpless, Angel holding his hand in comfort, "I'll uh, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry," she turned and followed Zach out of the room.

"Open Door 1."

The Doctor squeezed Angel's hand as the three of them looked at each other, the Ood leaving the room.

"Close Door 1."

The Doctor turned and leaned against the control panel with Angel and Rose, "I've trapped you here," the Doctor said quietly to Rose.

"No," Rose shook her head, "Don't worry about me," the base shook, "Ok, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a black hole, and no way out," they looked at her, "Yeah, I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me."

Angel stepped forward and pulled Rose into a comforting hug, looking at the Doctor over the blonde's shoulder in concern.

He could only look down, hopeless. This was all his fault. If he'd just _listened_ to Angel when she'd said it wasn't a good place, taken in how little she wanted to stay there, and truly turned and left, _none_ of this would have happened, the TARDIS would still be there with them and they wouldn't be trapped.

"Come on," Angel pulled away, "You know what you need?" she gave Rose a small smile, her hands resting on Rose's shoulders, wanting her to feel better despite the fact that she herself was rather on edge about all this, "A cookie."

Rose laughed, smiling at how random that was but also how _Angel_ it was, that girl loved her cookies, "What?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "A nice, warm cookie. Or a banana," she added, before pausing to consider her words, "Well...bananas _are_ good, but cookies can do wonders. Yeah, cookies it is. Think they might have some?"

Rose shook her head but kept smiling, "Oh they've GOT to," she agreed playfully, "Can't have a dangerous expedition to a black hole without cookies!"

"Then let's go get some," Angel nodded, not seeming to sense Rose wasn't really being serious, "Come on," she turned Rose around on the spot and nudged her on.

Rose laughed and headed for the door, the Time Lords behind her.

The Doctor stepped to Angel's side, taking her hand, knowing she wasn't _really_ as ok with the situation as she was trying to seem for Rose, "I'm sorry," he told her softly so Rose wouldn't hear, "I should have listened to you, we should have turned back. The TARDIS is lost because of me."

She squeezed his hand, "I'm not happy to be here," she admitted, "I don't like this planet. Everything in me is telling me to get away from it. And I have a feeling the TARDIS is going to be cross with you about this," she nudged him, "But...I AM happy to be _with_ you," she added, "Even if we're on an impossible planet on the verge of falling into a black hole. I...I _can_ bear that, as long as I'm with you."

He smiled at her, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it, "Just as I can if I'm with you. And then some."

"Good," she nodded, "Then we'll always be with each other."

"Always," he promised, leaning over to kiss her as well. He loved how she could always make him feel a bit better about a situation just by being there, just by smiling at him. It was like she always knew just what to say to cheer him up. And it wasn't because of any 'feeling' telling her what to say but just who she was inside. She was just such a caring soul, with such a warm and loving heart that she just couldn't stand it to see anyone else upset. She was remarkable.

"Though next time," she murmured, pulling away, "Don't argue with the psychic."

He laughed, smiling fully now, "I promise."

"Good."

~8~

"Entering night shift," the computer announced that night, "Your chosen track for transition is Ravel's 'Bolero.'"

The song began to play over the speakers as the Ood worked around the base. Jefferson, wandered amongst them, watching Scooti at work on the planet's surface, "All finished," she called into the wrist comm. of her spacesuit, "Heading back inside."

She started back as Danny ticked off the Ood on a clipboard as they filed past him, "Ood 7 Gamma 10. Ood 7 Gamma 11. Ood 7 Gamma 12..."

~8~

Toby smiled softly as the music carried into his room where he was examining fragments of the ancient writing beneath a microscope. The music cut off sharply and there was a sound of buzzing electricity. He looked up, startled, but dismissed it, getting back to work.

"Toby..." the same voice as before hissed to him.

He jerked up, looking around sharply, searching the room with his eyes. A moment later he shook his head and turned back to the scrolls.

"I can see you…"

"Danny, is that you?" Toby asked, irritated, "It's…it's not funny, alright?"

There was no reply.

He got up and strode out the door, "Dan?" he opened it, peering down the hall to see it deserted, "I'm…I'm trying to work, Daniel," he hesitated, disturbed, "Look, if…if that's you, then can you just stop it..." the lights flickered again. He dashed back into his room when a low groan echoed through it. He glanced around, up and down the corridor, but it was still deserted.

The sound stopped.

~8~

The Doctor sat by the ancient text in the canteen area, staring at it with his brow furrowed as Angel just wandered around the room, pausing a moment and looking at a table of papers, before heading over to it to look at what they were, when Rose got up to go to where the Ood were serving food, Scooti getting served at the moment.

No cookies unfortunately.

"Danny, check the temperature of Ood Habitation," Zach called over the speaker, "It seems to be rising."

Danny stood and walked off, past Angel as she moved back to the Doctor's side, when Scooti noticed Rose standing a few feet away by the Ood hatch, "Help yourself," she gestured at the tray, "Just don't have the green. Or the blue."

She laughed and headed back to her table where she was going over a few reports as Rose picked up her tray and stepped up to the Ood, "Uh, bit of that, thanks," she pointed.

The Ood spooned some sloppy blue goop onto her tray, "Would you like sauce with that?"

"I'll have a go, yeah," she nodded, watching as the Ood shook some sauce onto her tray, "I did that job once. I was a...a dinner lady! Not that I'm calling you a lady. Although, I dunno," she eyed it closely, "You might be. Do you actually get paid, though? Do they give you money?"

"The Beast and his armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God."

"...I'm sorry?"

"Apologies," the Ood said after shaking its orb, "I said, 'I hope you enjoy your meal.'"

"Yeah…" she replied, watching it carefully, recalling Angel's warning to keep an eye on the Ood, before turning and joining them back by the wall, already feeling safer to be away from the Ood and nearer to them.

~8~

Zach worked away in the control room, eyeing the hologram of the drill, "Drill head now at Point 16," the computer announced as Zach tapped some keys, "Drill head speed increasing."

"Keep pressure at 60," Zach instructed as he stood up and walked over to another set of controls.

While his back was turned, an image of a horned beast replaced the hologram of the planet, roaring quietly.

Zach spun around, having spotted it out of the corner of his eye, but it was gone.

~8~

Danny turned a wheel to open another door.

"Close Door 3," the computer announced.

"I've CLOSED Door 3," Danny rolled his eyes.

"He is awake."

"What did you say?"

"Close Door 3."

Danny peered through a small window on the door, confused.

~8~

Toby sat in his dead silent room, still examining the fragments of the text.

"Toby..." the voice hissed.

He started to turn when...

"Don't turn around."

He closed his eyes, feeling like he was being watched, "Dan..." he began fearfully, "That's not Dan."

"Don't look at me," the voice hissed as he started to turn around again.

"Who…who are you?" Toby froze.

"I have so many names."

"If…if I could…"

"If you look at me, you will die."

"But who _are_ you?"

"I'm behind you, Toby. I'm _right_ behind you."

Toby's head jerked again, taking enormous effort not to turn.

"Don't look…don't look at me."

Toby trembled.

"One look and you _will_ die."

Toby stiffened, feeling it approaching.

"I'm reaching out, Toby. I'm _so_ close. Don't turn around. Oh, I can _touch_ you..."

It was too much, Toby suddenly spun around and stopped.

The voice was gone and the room was empty.

He breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to his work only to see something on his hands through his gloves. He turned them over, putting down the broken fragments and pulling them off to see his hands were covered with the ancient symbols as though tattooed into his skin. He stood up in shock, staring at them. He picked up a mirror from the desk and looked at his face, now covered in the symbols as well, his eyes red. He threw the mirror back down onto the desk, his whole body arching as though in pain as he fell to the floor.

~8~

The lights in the canteen flickered as Angel shivered, the Doctor immediately putting his arm around her.

"Zach, have we got a problem?" Ida called into the comm. on her wrist.

"No more than usual," Zach replied, "Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look."

Ida looked over at the Doctor and Angel, who sat close to each other on one side of a table, Rose across from them, "You might wanna see this. Moment in history," she walked over to a lever and pulled it, the ceiling opening to reveal the black hole overhead, the room filling with red light, "There. On the edge," she pointed to a stream of scarlet light gently spinning towards the hole, "That red cloud...that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi...a mighty civilization spanning a billion years...disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed."

The Doctor felt someone take his hand and looked over to see Angel staring up at the system with a sad expression on her face, clearly thinking about their home and the similarities it held to the Peluchi. And while she held no blame for the Doctor, he knew she missed their world as did he, just the little things about it, the sky, the grass, the trees...and they were both missing it even more so now that they were cut off from the TARDIS, the last thing besides each other that they had of their home planet.

"Ladies and gentlemen...we have witnessed its passing," Ida breathed, moved, about to pull the lever again.

"Er, no, could you leave it open?" the Doctor asked, "Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise."

"How would you know?"

"He went mad a _long_ time ago," Angel joked.

Ida nodded, leaving the controls and turning to Scooti, "Scooti, check the lockdown," Scooti got up and headed out, "Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me," Jefferson nodded and followed Ida out, leaving the Doctor, Angel, and Rose alone.

"Open Door 18."

"I've seen films and things," Rose remarked, watching the black hole, "Yeah, they say black holes are like gateways to another Universe."

"Close Door 18."

"Not that one," Angel remarked, eyeing it, her stomach twisting again, "It just... _eats_."

"Long way from home..." Rose sighed.

"Go that way," the Doctor pointed at the hole, a little to the side of it, "Turn right, keep going for um...about 500 years...then you'll reach the Earth."

Rose pulled her phone out, turning it on, "No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could...what would I tell her? Can you build another TARDIS?"

"They were _grown_ , not built," Angel corrected softly, "With Gallifrey gone..." she shook her head, "I mean, we COULD _grow_ another TARDIS if we had a chunk of TARDIS coral, but that would take _thousands_ of years..."

"Well, it could be worse," Rose tried to keep it light as their list of escapes and options dwindled, "This lot said they'd give us a lift."

"And then what?" the Doctor looked at her.

"I dunno...find a planet...get a job...live a life, same as the rest of the Universe."

"Pfft..." he shook his head, thinking about it, "I'd have to settle down. In a _house_ or something, a proper house with...with...with...with DOORS and things. _Carpets_! Me! Living in a house!" Rose smiled, "Now that...that is terrifying."

"You'd have to get a mortgage," Rose teased.

"...no," he gaped, horrified.

"Oh yes."

" _Now_ you know how Sarah Jane felt," Angel nudged him, smiling.

"I am dying," he determined, "That's it. I am dying, it is all over."

"What about me?" Rose cut in, "I'd have to get one too," she laughed, "We could get the same one! We'd all be flatmates!"

"Aren't we that now?" Angel laughed, looking at the Doctor, "The TARDIS _has_ carpets and doors. And, if she wanted, and the Chameleon Circuit wasn't broken, she _could_ take the shape of a house..."

"Well, THAT," he nodded, "Wouldn't be quite so bad. Best house in the Universe."

They fell silent for a few moments, their thoughts reminded of the lost TARDIS, before the Doctor sighed, "I promised Jackie I'd always take you back home."

"Everyone leaves home in the end," Rose waved him off.

"Maybe, but you've got a home to go back to Rose," Angel told her lightly, reaching out to touch Rose's hand, squeezing it, "You've no idea how lucky you are to have that."

The Doctor nodded, "And no one leaves home to end up stuck here."

"Yeah, but stuck with you two," Roes smiled, "That's not so bad."

"Yeah?" Angel smiled at her.

"Yes," she said sincerely, "It's _fantastic_ actually."

Angel and the Doctor smiled, pleased that Rose enjoyed their company so much.

Rose's phone rang, she smiled, thinking their luck had changed for the better, and answered it, only to hear, 'He is awake' on the other end. Shocked, she quickly threw the phone to the floor.

~8~

Toby jerked awake, a murderous look in his red eyes.

~8~

The trio clambered down the stairs to see Danny in the Ood Habitation room, "Evening!" the Doctor called.

"Only us!" Rose smiled.

"The mysterious trio," Danny commented working at his computer, "How are you, then? Settling in?"

"Yeah, sorry, straight to business," the Doctor cut in, "The Ood, how do they communicate? I mean, with each other," he glanced down at the Ood sitting in an area, much like an animal pen, below.

Danny shrugged, "Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does THEM much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle."

"The...telepathic field, would it be able to pick up psychic messages?" Angel wondered.

"'Cos I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something...well, odd," Rose agreed.

"Oh," Danny rolled his eyes, "An odd Ood."

"And then I got something else on my er..." Rose glanced at the Doctor and Angel, "Communicator thing."

"Oh, be fair," Danny scoffed, "We've got whole _star systems_ burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing," the Doctor and Rose stared at him, not convinced, as Angel glanced at the computer Danny was just at, "Look...if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

"Monitor the field, that's this thing?" the Doctor glanced at the screen as well, seeing it read 'Basic 5.'

"Yeah. But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register Basic 5."

"Um, that's _not_ Basic 5," Angel frowned, seeing the register rising from 5 to 6 and on, "10..." Rose glanced over as the Ood lifted their heads in unison, "20..." Angel looked at Danny, "They've gone up to Basic _30_."

"But they _can't_..."

"The Ood..." Rose gasped as the Ood all turned as one and looked up at them, "What does Basic 30 mean?"

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads."

"No..." Angel muttered, shaking her head as she stared at the Ood, "Something's shouting _at_ them…"

"What?" the Doctor asked her.

"I dunno," she breathed, sounding just a little scared.

Danny typed something into the keyboard, "But...where's it coming from? What is it saying? I mean…" he turned to Rose, "What did it say to you?"

"Something about the Beast in the Pit," she replied.

"What about your communicator? What did that say?"

"He is awake," she said after a moment's hesitation.

"And you will worship him," the Ood recited.

"What the hell?" Danny gasped.

"He is awake," the Doctor turned to the Ood, addressing them.

"And you will worship him," they repeated.

"Worship who?" the Doctor asked, but they didn't reply, "Who's talking to you? Who is it?"

~8~

Scooti rummaged around her work area, trying to find the expenditure report for Toby. She'd been working on it in Habitation Three during dinner but now she couldn't find it for the life of her. She frowned, looking around at the other papers in her file. She sighed, turning to head back out of her room, down to Habitation Three to look there just as a figure walked out onto the surface of the planet without a suit, visible from the windows beside her.

~8~

The entire base shook suddenly, the trio down in the pen with the Ood and Danny still on the balcony overlooking it, when they were thrown down to the ground, the Doctor grabbing Angel to try and protect her from the jolting, "Emergency hull breach," the speakers called, "Emergency hull breach."

"Which section?" Danny shouted.

"Everyone..." Zach's voice came over the speakers, "Evacuate 11 to 13, we've got a breach! The base is open. Repeat: the base is OPEN."

~8~

Jefferson and two guards hurried along a corridor, shielding themselves from the sparks flying from the walls and the smoke rising through floor.

~8~

"Open Door 19."

The Doctor, Angel, Rose, and Danny ran through the corridors.

"Close Door 19."

"I can't contain the oxygen field, we're gonna lose it!" Zach warned.

~8~

"Come on!" Jefferson shouted, straining to keep a door open, "Keep moving!" the Doctor, Rose, Angel, and Danny ran from one direction, running into Ida and the two other guards in another, "And you too, Toby!" Jefferson pulled the boy through the door, his face and eyes back to normal, slamming it shut as Toby fell to the floor.

"Beach sealed," the speakers called, "Breach sealed."

"Everyone alright?!" the Doctor dashed over to them, "What happened? What was it?"

"Oxygen levels normal."

"Hull breach!" Jefferson gasped, catching his breath "We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters."

Rose knelt down by Toby, helping him sit up as he sweated and panted on the floor, Angel slowly stopping as she eyed the boy with a frown.

"That wasn't a quake," the Doctor said, "What caused it?"

"We've lost sections 11 to 13," Zach called over the comm., "Everyone alright?"

"We've got everyone here except Scooti," Jefferson replied, "Scooti, report."

Static sounded.

"Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report!"

But again, only static.

"She's alright," Zach called, earning a sigh of relief from Jefferson and Ida, "I picked up her bio chip, she's in Habitation Three. Better go and check. If she's not responding, she might be unconscious."

Toby looked down at his hands, turning them over to see them clean, unnoticing of Angel watching him closely.

"How about that, eh? We survived."

"Habitation Three..." Jefferson nodded, "Come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on," he led them down the corridor, everyone but Toby, Rose, the Doctor, and Angel.

The Doctor crouched down by the severely shaken Toby, "What happened?"

"I don't…" he swallowed, speaking very fast, flustered, "I dunno, I…I was working and then...I can't remember. All…all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air…"

"Come on," Rose helped him up, "Up you get. Come and have some Protein One," she tucked her arm with his and led him off down the corridor, Angel stepping to the side, out of their way as though avoiding touching Toby.

"Oh, you've gone native," the Doctor called after her.

"Oi, don't knock it," she shouted back, "It's nice. Protein One with just a," she clicked her tongue, "Dash of Three."

The Doctor laughed, before noticing Angel's frown as she stared after them, "What is it?"

"I don't know," she replied, she felt like something was off with Toby, but whatever it was it was hiding itself, she couldn't be certain.

And it was tearing her apart.

There was a danger there, she knew, Toby was somehow involved but she didn't know _how_ , and her feelings were so... _jumbled_. All she could feel was a darkness, a fear, something twisting in the very essence of the planet. She needed to _know_! Not knowing was putting everyone in so much danger. How could she help if she couldn't understand her feelings enough to express them? How could she stop the humans from making a mistake or wandering into a trap or being harmed if she didn't know what was happening? She couldn't even explain to the Doctor what was going on her feelings were so scattered.

"Angel?" he frowned, watching her as she seemed to grow deeper in her thoughts, more frustrated. He walked over to her, taking her hands, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "Everything."

"What?" he blinked.

She frowned, shaking her head more, even more frustrated, "I don't know why I said that."

He nodded a moment before reaching out to cup her cheeks in his hands, "I want to try something," he began, staring into her eyes, "You've been getting more feelings than normal here, yes?" she nodded, knowing he'd seen her expressions shifting whenever she got a 'feeling,' "Close your eyes," he whispered and she did, "Now...just... _feel_."

Her forehead scrunched in concentration.

"No, no, no," he stroked her cheek with his thumb, "No thinking. No concentrating. No forcing anything. Just let yourself feel."

She took a breath and relaxed as much as she could, still on edge about the planet, but enough where she wasn't so focused.

"Good," he smiled, watching her, "You don't like it here," he reminded her as she nodded, "It was dark and there's something off about the Ood..." she nodded again, "What else is there?"

"Toby's right," she murmured, her hearts starting to race as she felt her 'feelings' bubbling within her, almost like they were trying to rush to the surface but weren't quite strong enough to do it.

"About what?"

"There's something in the dark. It's calling out. It's calling to the Ood."

"What is?"

She inhaled sharply, "The Beast...the...the Beast in the Pit...it's trapped but...it's not safe. WE'RE not safe..."

He frowned, seeing her almost starting to pant, breathing heavily, "Why not?"

"We're surrounded," she reached out and grabbed his arms, clutching his elbows as he tried to soothe her, but it wasn't working, she was feeling so much... _too_ much... "It's _everywhere_. The _Darkness_ is everywhere. It's below us. It's above us. It's..." she swallowed hard, her face scrunching, "It's _among_ us."

"Where?" he tensed, feeling that familiar surge of protectiveness rising in him.

Her eyes snapped open, wide for a moment in fear before they flew up to catch his gaze, "Toby," she stepped back and looked down, nearly shaking, "It's gotten to Toby."

He walked over to her, pulling her into his arms as she trembled, clutching the front of his shirt. He gently stroked her hair, shifting just a little, almost rocking her back and forth, desperate to calm her. He never should have done that, tried to get her to feel what was surrounding them. He knew it probably wouldn't be anything good and that it would likely upset her...but he didn't think it would upset her quite so much. He'd seen her getting upset over NOT being able to get a clear feeling and just...wanted to help.

He pulled away a little, kissing her forehead, "Whatever this Beast is..." he promised her, "I'll stop it."

"WE'LL stop it," she corrected, pulling away as well, taking a breath, feeling just a little better after having been in the Doctor's arms, "Not just you anymore, remember?"

He smiled at her, that was SO Angel. Here she was, upset and probably scared out of her mind, and she was STILL trying to make HIM feel better. He had to admit, he could take comfort in that small inkling of the future she'd gleamed, those vague feelings...now they knew something was wrong, not just with the Ood, but with Toby as well, that he should be watched and treated with caution, he knew the danger was growing closer, and he knew that the Beast, whatever it was, was trapped at the moment.

"Come on," Angel said after a moment, "We should get to Habitation Three," she frowned, "Rose is there with Toby," she reminded him.

"Right," he nodded, squeezing her hand and leading her down the hall.

Angel though, glanced out the side window and up at the black hole looming, the knot appearing in her stomach once more as she recalled her own words.

The Pit was below...

Toby was among...

But the black hole...the black hole was above...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm...Angel's getting more and more suspicious of Toby...and what's this? Scooti's report went missing? Will that have any effect on the story at all? And why the emphasis on the black hole being above? Well, I'll say this, we know what version of the Beast is in the Pit and what version is in Toby...and that's all I'm gonna say about that :) Don't want to give away too many spoilers :)


	30. The Impossible Planet: The First Attack

The Doctor and Angel stepped into the canteen area of Habitation Three to see Ida and Jefferson leaning over an unconsious Scooti, lying on one of the tables, a stream of blood dripping down her face from a nasty cut on her head, the skin around it already bruising. The Doctor immediately ran over, pulling out the sonic to scan her, "No sign of concussion," he reported, "Just knocked out and cut up."

Ida let out a sigh of relief, taking a napkin off the table and gently trying to clean Scooti's wound. The girl in question flinched a bit as the cloth came in contact with her cut, her eyes fluttering open, "Wh…what's going on? Ida?"

"Scooti," Ida smiled, pleased to see her able to speak and focus, "We're in Habitation Three. Do you remember what happened?"

Scooti frowned, concentrating for a moment, her thoughts, naturally, jumbled after her accident, "I was trying to find my expenditure report for Toby, I couldn't find it in my papers and thought I left it in here. The room started to shake and I...fell, must've hit my head," she winced, trying to touch her head but Jefferson gently took her hand to stop her.

"Jefferson," Ida looked up at him, "Can you take her to the med-bay, get her fixed up?"

Jefferson nodded, helping Scooti sit up and slide off the table, leading her out of the room, his arm around her waist to support her. He couldn't begin to say how relieved he was that she was alright as well. Being the oldest member of the human crew, he often felt a sense of protectiveness and responsibility for their safety. It wasn't just his _job_ to protect them, being the head of security, it was _more_ than that. These people had become his family in such a short time. Scooti especially, being the youngest, hee held a soft spot in his heart for, he felt even more responsible for her, she was young enough to be his daughter and she often treated him like a second father.

"Oh thank God she was alright," Ida fell onto a chair as Scooti and Jefferson left the room, "If _anything_ had happened to her…" she shook her head, "She was only twenty!"

The Doctor tensed at that, looking at Angel, having heard a similar sentiment about Scooti's age from her as well. It was starting to make sense now...but...Angel had clearly sensed the woman was too young to die...yet Scooti was still alive right now. So, what had happened? Not that he _wanted_ Scooti to die, not at all, but...something wasn't making sense...

"But nothing did," Angel cut in, casting a quick glance at Toby before focusing on Ida, "She's fine. She'll be just fine."

Ida nodded, the room falling silent a moment, when Ida's eyes widened at HOW silent it was, "It's stopped..."

And then something crashed.

"What was _that_?" Rose looked around, alarmed, fearing it was another quake, "What was it?"

"The drill," the Doctor murmured.

"We've stopped drilling," Ida grinned, "We've _made_ it. Point Zero!"

The room erupted into chaos, the crew running around to do what they had prepared for, getting ready to go down and investigate.

' _Doctor?_ ' he heard Angel call to him in his mind quietly, he looked over and saw her stepping back, off to the side. The humans might thing she was just getting out of their way, not wanting to be a bother, but he knew better. Clearly she didn't want the humans to notice or hear what she wanted to say, especially when he took into account how she was shifting from side to side, casting glances at the humans as though to make sure they were preoccupied.

"What is it?" he frowned, moving to join her.

Angel glanced at the crew once more before reaching into the pocket of her pants and pulling a small pile of papers, folded. She opened them and handed them to him for him to see it was Scooti's missing expenditure report, "I had a really _bad_ feeling," she began, "Scooti was _too_ young," she shifted a bit, "I didn't mean to steal it but...I had to _do_ something...and..."

The Doctor nodded, taking the report from her and tossing it into a waste bin beside them, "You did the right thing," he reassured her, that last piece of the Scooti puzzle falling into place. Angel HAD sensed something, and done something about it, she'd saved Scooti's life by stealing that report, "For all we know she could've _died_ bringing this to Toby."

Angel nodded, glancing back at Toby, who still appeared shaken, though she was unable to let go of the horrible pit that had formed in her stomach at the sight of him. Now that she knew something had gotten to Toby...she just wanted to know exactly what, how, and what that would mean for the boy. He seemed _genuinely_ frightened, he seemed ignorant that _anything_ was wrong with him.

And that was _never_ a good sign.

The Doctor followed her gaze, watching Toby trying to help gather some things, but dropping them as he shook, Rose going to help him, "Do you think..." he began, "Do you think it might have left him alone?" he glanced at Angel, "Do you think, whatever got to him, was only for a moment?"

He needed to know, he needed to know that Toby was fine, that whatever 'darkness' had 'gotten' Toby had fled the boy. He knew what he was planning to do as soon as he'd heard they were going to go down to the drill earlier, but he NEEDED to know Angel would be safe with that boy around.

"I think..." she frowned, eyeing Toby, "I think the worst danger is when someone's being controlled and doesn't even realize it," she murmured, looking at him, "Like...a Nestene Duplicate that thinks it's alive...until it's activated."

He nodded, reaching out to take her hand.

That really hadn't helped calm his nerves at all.

~8~

"All non-essential Oods to be confined," Zach called over the speakers from the drill area as the crew prepared for Ida to head down the mineshaft.

"Capsule established," Ida confirmed, dressed in a spacesuit, "All systems functioning...the mineshaft is go...bring systems online now."

The Doctor, already dressed in a suit of his own, approached Zach, "Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force."

"Doctor, this is breaking _every_ single protocol," Zach replied, "We don't even know who you are."

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you? And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on...look me in the eye...yes you do, I can see it. _Trust_."

" _I_ should be going down."

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here. In charge."

"Not much good at it, am I?" he scoffed, before sighing, "Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions!"

Angel stepped over to the Doctor as Zach walked off, he looked at her, taking her hand in his own, "I don't want to leave you here alone with Toby," he said quietly, eyeing the boy who still looked a right mess, but he knew Angel sensed something _still_ about him, enough to put her at unease and that didn't sit well with him.

He didn't like not being there to protect her.

He'd been so torn when he'd learned something was wrong with Toby. He'd planned to go down with Ida, but...he _really_ didn't want to leave her alone with the boy. He already felt like he'd failed to protect her from the Wire, because he'd left her to go investigate on his own and she'd been harmed...he didn't want to fail again. But Angel had just squeezed his hand and told him that it was different now than with the Wire. SHE had run off on her own as well, and he HAD saved her. She hadn't been able to defend herself once her face had been taken and Rose had been the only one there to help her get back to him. But NOW, now she'd be _aware_. Now she _knew_ there was a danger and could prepare for it, watch out for it, caution the others. Now she could be careful. And, she'd reminded him, she wouldn't be alone. Not only would she have Rose, but Zach, Danny, AND Jefferson, plus his two guards, to help her if anything went wrong. She'd be well protected.

He'd just pouted, because, really, HE wanted to be the one protecting her and making her feel safe.

So she'd amended, she'd be safe _enough_ till he could get back. And that was more than enough incentive for him to make quick work of his little mission down into the planet.

"But you need to get the TARDIS back," she finished for him, "I understand. I want her back as well and if YOU don't go get her _I_ will," she threatened playfully, knowing he'd rather her be on the surface, with different places to hide and a rocket to escape in and others to protect her, than down in the dark with only Ida and limited oxygen, not knowing what she'd encounter or having any other way to escape save the capsule that would return them to the surface, "I'll keep an eye on things here, and you do the same down there."

"I'll keep in touch," he promised her, "If _anything_ goes wrong," he tapped his head, "You connect, understood?"

They'd been working on the mental bond more and more, ever since she'd been able to speak in his mind. The connection had grown stronger, enough where they could read each other's minds for a short while, though Angel's voice in his mind was still very soft. Still, she was getting better and it was getting stronger, longer, and easier, each and every time they tried, but it still required a decent amount of effort and focus.

She nodded.

"Mr. Jefferson!" Zach shouted in the distance, "I want maximum systems..."

"Oxygen..." the Doctor checked the suit, getting ready, as Rose walked over from where she'd been checking on Toby, "Nitro-balance...gravity. It's ages since I wore one of these!"

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" Rose warned him.

"Yes, mum," the Doctor rolled his eyes playfully before leaning forward and kissing Angel quickly, and then again, deeper, pouring his promise to return to her alive and well into it.

It had become a little 'thing' with them. He knew better than anyone that Angel had addictive kisses, well, to HIM at least...to HIM and ONLY him really, as he wasn't about to let _anyone_ else kiss her to find that out. But still...he could never get enough of them, enough of _her_. He found himself always needing to have her in sight, just to see her beautiful smile, or to touch her in some way. Kissing her...he knew he couldn't ever survive on the little pecks he gave her, it always led to something deeper. But he always tried to steal kisses from her, and to do that he had to be quick and short...which was never enough and led to longer kisses between the two of them. It was nice though, that they had that sort of little tradition, a peck and then a kiss. And it was brilliant because he got TWO kisses out of it which just made his day.

He smiled softly at her, seeing her blushing and trying to catch her breath, as he pulled away to put on his helmet. He loved the fact that he was the only one who could make her blush like that, the only one who took her breath away as much as she did his.

"It's funny," Rose remarked as Angel reached up to make sure the helmet was secured in place, "'Cos people back home think that space travel's gonna be all whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity...but it's not, is it? It's tough."

"I'll see you two later," the Doctor smiled at them.

"Not if we see you first," Rose returned the smile. She laughed softly, pulling the Doctor into a quick hug, "Good luck," he winked at them, before getting into the capsule/lift with Ida.

The Doctor looked at Rose, "I'm trusting you Rose," he looked at her meaningfully.

Rose just linked her arm through Angel's, "I know."

She knew how hard it had to be for the Doctor to go down there without Angel, having to leave her up there, not knowing what might happen. She'd seen it in his reaction to what the Wire had done to her. He would do anything to keep Angel safe. But, then again, so would _she_. Angel was her best friend, truly her sister at heart, she wasn't about to let ANYTHING harm the girl either. She'd protect her, just like Angel had protected her in the past.

Because _that's_ what family did.

She smiled softly to herself as a thought struck her. If Angel was like her sister, then that meant the Doctor was like her brother-in-law or something. How on Earth she had EVER thought SHE and the Doctor could be anything...she shook her head. She couldn't even _begin_ to try and explain that. It was just...so _wrong_ to her now to look at him in _that_ way.

He was her pilot, she was his companion, and Angel was his Mate, and that was all there was to it.

~8~

Danny stood on the balcony of Ood Habitation, addressing the Ood, "You will remain here. No command can override this. Have you got that? _My_ instructions ONLY."

~8~

"Capsule active," Zach announced, pushing a few buttons in the control room, "Counting down in 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1..."

~8~

Rose and Angel waved at the Doctor and Ida.

"Release," Zach warned.

The capsule began to lower.

Angel glanced over at Toby, sitting hunched over in a corner, twitching, before turning to a computer screen showing the descent of the capsule into the planet.

~8~

The Doctor and Ida stood in the capsule in silence, just waiting.

~8~

The screen displayed the capsule lowering, past the 'Danger Oxygen Field' warning.

"Gone beyond the oxygen field," Zach reported, "You're on your own."

~8~

The Doctor and Ida switched on their oxygen tanks.

~8~

Rose reached out and took one of the comms., "Don't forget to breathe," Rose called, "Breathing's good," she demonstrated some deep breaths as Angel took her hand, both of them nervous and worried. Neither of them, it seemed, liked leaving the Doctor on his own either, not able to be there to help him, to protect him as well.

"Rose, stay off the comm.," Zach called.

Angel took the comm., "...make us," she called back in challenge, defending Rose as well. She turned to the girl, holding her hand over the comm., "That's what humans say right?" she whispered.

Rose smiled and nodded.

~8~

The capsule shook violently, throwing the duo off their feet a moment as they clung to the sides of it to steady themselves.

~8~

The Ood in Ood Habitation suddenly stood and turned to look up at Danny and the male guard, who pointed a gun at the Ood, ready.

~8~

They watched the computer screen as the capsule touched Point Zero, causing the whole base to shake.

"Doctor?" Rose grabbed the comm., "Doctor, are you alright?"

"Ida, report to me..." Zach called, also getting no reply, "Doctor?"

~8~

The Doctor and Ida stepped out of the capsule, "It's alright..." the Doctor replied, "We've made it...coming out of the capsule now," they slowly looked around at the darkness, flashing their torches around, trying to get a better idea of where they were but it was so dark...they could barely make out their hand in front of their faces even _with_ the torches.

"What's it look like down there?" Angel asked over the comm..

"It's hard to tell..." the Doctor stared at the darkness, only able to get an idea of the size of the area, "Some sort of...cave...cavern...it's massive."

"Well, this should help," Ida grabbed a round orb of light, "Gravity globe," she threw it up and it hovered above them, the room was bathed in a warm light, revealing ancient and beautiful architecture, "That's...that's...my God, that's _beautiful_."

"You can tell Toby...we've found his civilization..."

~8~

"Oi, Toby!" Rose called cheerfully as Angel eyed the man cautiously, "Sounds like you've got plenty of work."

"Good," Toby nodded, still very distracted and twitchy, "Good. Good."

"Concentrate now, people," Zach ordered lightly, "Keep on the mission. Ida...what about the power source?"

~8~

The Doctor and Ida walked by a rocky wall, Ida holding a torch in front of them, directed at the ground, adding more light so they could see where they were stepping, "We're close," she replied, "Energy signature indicates north, north west. Are you getting pictures up there?"

"There's too much interference. We're in your hands."

"Well...we've come this far. There's no turning back."

"Oh, did you _have_ to?" the Doctor grumbled, "'No turning back?' That's almost as bad as 'nothing can possible go wrong' or 'this is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had…'"

"Are you finished?"

He looked at her a moment, "Yeah! Finished," before walking past her, Ida amusedly watching him go.

~8~

Angel looked at Rose, confused, "What's a walfor?"

Rose shook her head, "I'll explain it later."

~8~

One of the Ood blinked at Danny as he raised his wrist comm., "Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood."

"What are they doing?" Zach asked.

"They're _staring_ at me. I've told them to stop, but they _won't_."

"Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being STARED at."

"But the telepathic field, sir," he glanced at the computer, "It's at Basic 100! I've checked, there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100."

"But that's impossible"

~8~

Rose looked at Jefferson, her turn to be confused, hearing Zach and Danny's conversation, "What's Basic 100 mean?"

"They should be dead," Danny stated.

"Basic 100's brain death," Jefferson nodded.

"But they're safe?" Zach called, "They're not actually _moving_?"

"No, sir," Danny agreed.

"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood."

"Officer at arms!" Jefferson readied his gun as the female guard did the same.

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"You can't fire a gun in here," Rose looked at him, "What if they hit a wall?"

"I'm firing stock 15, only packs upon organics," Jefferson reassured her before turning to the guard, "Keep watch. Guard them."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"Is everything alright up there?" the Doctor called over the comm., not exactly having heard their recent conversation but growing concerned with the silence he was getting on his end.

"Yeah, yeah," Rose replied quickly.

"It's FINE," Zach answered.

"Great!" Danny added.

"Of course it is," Angel agreed, not really understanding why everyone was saying that to the Doctor when it really wasn't but going along with it anyway, assuming it was just another human thing she'd have to ask Rose about later.

~8~

The Doctor and Ida paused, spotting the edge of something metal in the distance. They walked closer to see an enormous circular trapdoor with ancient symbols along the edge of it embedded in the ground, "We've found something," the Doctor reported, "It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be 'trapdoor.' Not a good word, 'trapdoor.' Never met a trapdoor I liked."

"The edge is covered with those symbols," Ida told them, shining her light on the edge.

"Do you think it opens?" Zach asked.

"That's what trapdoors tend to do," the Doctor remarked.

"'Trapdoor' doesn't do it justice," Ida walked around it, "It's _massive_ , Zach. About thirty feet in diameter."

"Any way of opening it?" Zach called.

"I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism."

"I suppose that's the writing, that'll tell us what to do," the Doctor reasoned, crouching down to touch one of the symbols, "The letters that defy translation."

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" Zach asked.

~8~

Rose looked over at Toby, "Toby, they need to know, that lettering, does it make any sort of sense?"

"I know what it says," he said, his head buried in his arms.

"Rose…"Angel began, her eyes wide as she looked at the boy, slowly reaching out to her.

"Then tell them," Rose continued.

"When did you work that out?" Jefferson asked.

"It doesn't matter, just tell them."

"Rose get back," Angel pulled the girl behind her as Toby stood, turning to them to reveal his skin covered in the symbols, his eyes red.

"These are the words of the Beast," Toby spoke, his voice deep and not his own, "And he has woken," Jefferson pointed his gun at him, "He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will _rise_."

"Officer, stand down," Jefferson threatened, "STAND DOWN."

~8~

"What is it?" the Doctor called over the comm., his hearts starting to race as he heard the boy growling, "What's he done? What's happening? Angel? Rose? What's going on?!"

There was no reply.

His eyes widened as he felt the familiar rush of anger and drive hitting him, _Angel_ was up there. His MATE was trapped up there with an obviously possessed boy. He NEVER shoudl have left her there. What had he been _thinking_?! He had to get up there! Now!

~8~

"Jefferson?" Zach called over the comm. but there was just static, "Report. Report!"

~8~

"Officer, as commander of security, I order you to stand down and be confined," Jefferson ordered as Toby flexed his arms, "Immediately!"

"The symbols...they're on his face," Angel called into the comm., trying to sound calm, knowing that the Mating instinct would be hitting the Doctor any second, and she _couldn't_ let it, she needed him to focus.

She'd seen what happened when he got worked up over her being harmed or in danger, he lost all focus, flew off the handle, rushed into things and didn't THINK, didn't even notice when he himself got hurt in his single-minded quest to save her. And they couldn't risk that, not now, she couldn't let him get hurt because of this. So she tried her best to play the situation off, if Toby didn't attack them, she might be able to convince him she'd be fine enough to calm him down.

"They're all over him," Rose agreed.

Toby eyed Jefferson, "Mr. Jefferson, tell me, sir...did your wife ever forgive you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Jefferson swallowed, lying.

"Let me tell you a secret: she _never_ did."

"Officer...you stand down and be confined."

"Or what?"

"Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you," Jefferson lifted his gun again.

"But how _many_ can you kill?" he smirked.

His eyes lit up and he opened his mouth in a low roar, the symbols flew off his skin in a cloud of black smoke, drifting over and entering the Ood, making them jerk, turning their eyes red, possessing them. Toby coughed and fell to the floor, Jefferson focusing on the three Ood.

~8~

"We are the Legion of the Beast," the Ood in the Ood Habitation spoke as one.

~8~

"Angel?" the Doctor called frantically over the comm., "Rose? What is it? Angel!"

' _Angel what's going on!?_ ' he called to her but there was still no reply.

He turned suddenly, storming away, "I'm going back up..."

Ida grabbed his arm, "You can't..."

He just yanked it away, rounding on her, glaring daggers at her for trying to, for _daring_ to, _stop_ him from getting back to his Mate when she needed him, "I AM and I WILL. I won't let it harm Angel!" he turned again, "Stay here or come with me," he called, before stalking off.

~8~

"Report," Zach shouted, "Report! Jefferson, report! _Someone_ report!"

~8~

The Ood held their communication orbs out in front of them, up at Danny, "The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few..."

~8~

"It's the Ood," Rose gasped into the comm..

' _Angel what's going on!?_ ' Angel heard the Doctor call.

' _It's the Ood,_ ' she replied, already knowing he was on his way back, ' _But Jefferson's taking care of them. STAY down there,_ ' she half-ordered.

' _Angel..._ '

' _You'll be safer there._ '

' _But YOU won't be up there!_ '

' _I'm fine,_ ' she insisted gently, ' _I'm here, I'm talking to you, I'm ok._ _I'm safe enough for now._ '

' _I don't like safe ENOUGH. I want you SAFE._ '

' _There's 3 Ood, 3 humans, and 1 Time Lady. They're out numbered._ '

' _Toby,_ ' he reminded her.

' _Is in no condition to attack anyone right now,_ ' she cut in, ' _Please,_ ' she nearly begged, ' _Please, Theta, PLEASE stay down there with Ida._ '

"Sir, we have a contamination in the livestock," Jefferson called into his comm..

"Doctor, I don't know what it is," Rose continued, "It's…it's like they're possessed."

"They won't listen to us," Angel breathed, watching the Ood, making sure she had covered the comm. for that bit of news.

~8~

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time," the Ood recited as a single Ood started walking up the stairs of Ood Habitation, towards Danny and the male guard, "Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan..."

Danny turned to the computer, frantic, as the guard readied his gun.

"Or Lucifer..."

"Captain, it's the Ood," Danny shouted, "They're out of control!"

"Or the Bringer of Despair..." the Ood continued as Danny and the guard backed away, "The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night," the Ood stood a few feet away from them before throwing the communication orb out at the guard's forehead, electrocuting him as Danny ran, "These are the words that shall set him _free_."

~8~

Jefferson, Rose, Angel, and the female guard backed away as the three Ood advanced.

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson shouted.

"I shall become manifest," the Ood spoke.

"Move quickly!"

"I shall walk in might."

"To the door!" he backed up against it, "Get it open!"

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds..."

~8~

Ida turned her torch on the trapdoor she hadn't been able to leave as the ground began to shake, the door opening, "Doctor! It's opening!"

~8~

The whole base shook, Zach grabbing onto the console to steady himself, "We're moving! The whole thing's moving! The _planet's_ moving!" he stared upwards at the black hole.

~8~

Rocks fell down in the cavern, causing the Doctor to fall back. He looked back between Ida and the capsule, before giving in to Angel's pleas and turning to run back to Ida as she whimpered, terrified. Angel's words cut through the red haze he'd seen the world in at the danger his Mate was in, hearing her voice had reassured him enough of her relative safety to allow him to calm down slightly, as hard as it was to keep it that way, but he _needed_ to _think_. he had promised her he would THINK next time she was in danger, no matter how powerful the Mating instinct was for him to just react...and he was...but she had called to him. She had spoken, she was protected and able to communicate and conscious...and he firmly believed that she wanted him down there for a _reason_ , so he'd do as she asked. And she was right, if he left now and something happened to Ida, once Angel was safe again, he'd regret it.

~8~

"I am the sin and the temptation," the Ood recited, still advancing, "And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."

"Get that door open!" Jefferson yelled.

~8~

The trapdoor opened.

~8~

"The gravity field...it's going!" Zach shouted, terrified, "We're losing orbit!"

The diagram on the computer displayed the planet moving around bizarrely.

"We're gonna fall into the black hole!"

~8~

The small group on the drill deck frantically tried to open the door but it was sealed, Jefferson aiming his gun at the Ood, only for them to ignore it as they stalked closer, "I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."

"Door sealed," the computer announced.

"Come on!" Rose shouted as she and Angel struggled to turn the wheel.

"Door sealed."

~8~

Billows of smoke rose from the Pit as the ground shook.

"The Pit is open," a voice shouted, triumphant, "And I am _free_!"

The Doctor and Ida stared down at the Pit in horror as the voice laughed.

To be continued…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have to say, the next chapter is where it really starts to get good and dangerous, just the way I like it lol :) And yay! Scooti's alive. That's a major difference to the episode. I seriously almost cried when they found Scooti in the episode. It's like, you think, oh thank God she's ok! And then you realize...no...she isn't :( But here she is! :)


	31. The Satan Pit: The Voice of the Beast

The Ood closed in on Jefferson, Rose, Angel, and the female guard, when he gave the command, "Open fire!"

He and the guard shot at the Ood while Rose cowered, Angel holding her as the guns went off though she winced with every round, she really hated guns.

~8~

In the control room, Zach looked around as the shaking lessened, "We're stabilizing..." he looked up as the shutter slid closed, "We've got orbit."

~8~

Rose rushed around the dead bodies of the Ood and grabbed the communicator she had dropped, "Doctor?" she shouted into it as Angel joined her, hearing only static, "Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor? Ida? Are you there?"

"Open Door 25."

She gasped spinning around, fearing more Ood had found them. Jefferson and the guard took aim, when Angel rushed over, pushing their guns down, "No wait!" she cried, "It's Danny."

A moment later Danny burst through the doors, holding his hands up when he saw the guns, "It's me! But they're coming," he turned and shoved the door shut behind him.

"Close Door 25."

"It's the Ood. They've gone mad."

"How many of them?" Jefferson asked.

"All of them! All fifty!"

"We...47 now," Angel murmured sadly, staring at the three fallen Ood. She moved to their side, kneeling down between them. Their eyes, still red, were open as they laid on their backs, staring up, unseeing. She frowned, reaching out to gently close their eyes, "There you are, sweetheart," she breathed, stroking their heads for a brief moment.

Rose smiled, watching her show compassion to the aliens that had just tried to kill them, comforting them even in death. That was _so_ Angel.

Jefferson, however, wasn't quite so focused on Angel, and stepped towards the door, "Danny, out of the way," Danny didn't move so he shoved him, "Out of the way!"

"But they're _armed_! They're dangerous. It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon."

"Open door 25."

"No!" Angel shouted, leaping up and rushing over as Jefferson open the door, only for one of the Ood to stick its orb on the female guard's head, electrocuting her.

Jefferson fired, forcing the Ood back enough for Angel to shut the door once more.

~8~

Zach stepped out from the control room, shutting the door behind him, "Close Door 1," he turned to start running down the corridor, but stopped short, seeing a line of Ood advancing. He ran back to the door, "Open Door 1," he slammed it closed behind him, "Close Door 1."

He pushed a button on the control panel on the wall, calling out the order, "Lockdown, seal Door 1."

"Lockdown Door 1."

He turned and went to the controls in the room, pressing the same button, locking down all the other doors before reaching for the comm., "Jefferson, what's happening there?"

"I've got very little ammunition, sir," Jefferson called back, "How about you?"

He turned and pulled a gun out of a drawer, looking at it, "All I've got is a bolt gun. With uh..." he tilted it, "All of _one_ bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency…I recommend Strategy Nine."

"Strategy Nine, agreed. Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?"

~8~

Rose frowned, "I can't get any reply," she said, her voice shaking as Angel rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, "Just...NOTHING, I keep trying, but it's…"

Angel tilted her head, resting it against Rose's, "Give it a moment," she whispered.

And, true to her word, a moment later the Doctor's voice called through the comm., "No! Sorry, I'm fine. Still here!"

"You could've said, you stupid b…" Rose began when the comm. screeched loudly in feedback.

"WHOA!" the Doctor laughed.

Angel could just tell from his voice that he felt calmer now that the shaking had stopped and the Ood inside the room had been dealt with. The comm. had been open during the ordeal, he'd heard everything happening up there, especially her words about the three fallen Ood. She supposed, it was a little lucky that it had happened, if the Ood had continued to attack he would have been beyond her reasoning with him to stay with Ida and come after her and...she couldn't help but feel like he SHOULDN'T get into the capsule again. Like...something would happen to it and she couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him too as a result. But with the Ood stopped for now and Toby passed out and the shaking having stopped, he felt like she was safer than before, he was calm...for now.

"Careful! Anyway, it's both of us, me and Ida. Hello! But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm."

"How deep is it?" Zach asked.

"Can't tell. It looks like it goes on forever."

"'The Pit is open,'" Rose breathed, "That's what the voice said."

"But there's nothing?" Zach continued, "I mean...there's...NOTHING coming out?"

"No, no," the Doctor agreed, "No sign of 'the Beast.'"

"It said 'Satan,'" Rose murmured.

"Come on, Rose. Keep it together."

"It's alright," Angel reassured her, putting an arm around her.

"Is there no such thing?" Rose asked, but neither Angel nor the Doctor replied, "Doctor? Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

Angel let out a breath...no wonder he felt so much more calmer now. Given a scale of danger between her up here with the Ood or him down there with 'the Beast' there was no choice between which was worse. He wasn't reacting as much, as strongly, right now because, compared to the danger that 'Satan' posed to him, it was far greater than the danger a few Ood posed to her. And he was more relieved she _wasn't_ down there with him. She thought it was odd though, that she felt...not as fearful...of him being down there than he did of her being up here. The Mating instinct was powerful, when a Mate was in danger, the instinct was to protect the other. Males tended to be far more aggressive in their approach to doing that, but females were more determined, willing to do anything but more...logical...when it came to it.

She _didn't_ feel like he was in danger though.

It was weird because the whole planet made her feel like danger was everywhere...except down in that Pit. She felt like...she KNEW he'd be alright, like he wouldn't be hurt. Perhaps _that_ was why she had yet to encounter the Mating instinct when it came to the Doctor. The man had THE WORST track record of getting into dangerous situations but she had never felt the force he'd felt to protect him when he was in danger. She _did_ want to protect him, but the instinct hadn't been present in such a powerful way. She would have to ask him about that one day but, she almost felt like it was an aftereffect of being a precog. The instinct didn't hit her as strongly because...she already _knew_ that he'd be alright in the end, whereas the Doctor didn't have that sensation when it came to her. He was a worrier by nature.

"Ida?" Zach called, getting back on topic, "I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately."

"But...we've come all this way!" Ida argued.

"Ok, that was an order. WITHDRAW. With that thing open, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops, right now."

"But it's not much better up there with the Ood."

"I'm initiating Strategy Nine. So I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar…" the comm. went to static as Ida switched off her comm., "Ida? IDA?"

~8~

Ida turned to the Doctor, "What do you think?"

"I think they've an order," the Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, but...what do YOU think?"

The Doctor put one foot on the edge of the Pit, looking down into the dark depths below, "It said 'I am the temptation.'"

"If...if there's something in there...why's it still hiding?"

"Maybe...we opened the prison but not the cell?"

"We should go down. I'd go. What about you?"

"Oh!" he laughed, "Oh, in a second, but then again..." he looked at her, "That is _so_ human. Where angels fear to tread…mind you, not _my_ Angel, she's just brilliant, a wonder," Ida smiled softly, seeing the slightly faraway look in the Doctor's eyes as he thought about Angel.

He still wanted to get back to her. THAT hadn't changed. No matter what, no matter how tempting the Pit was. He really would have gone down in a heartbeat...if he knew for a fact that Angel was 100 percent safe, and right now it wasn't even at 75 percent. Hell, even 99 percent didn't sit right with him. If he could be certain Angel was fine and safe and would remain that way...he'd go down. But that wasn't the case and, despite the Ood being taken care of up top, the ones in the Drill Deck anyway, he didn't like not being around her where he knew HE could protect her. He honestly and truly didn't trust anyone else to protect her the way he could, not even Rose or Mickey though they came in at a close second. Even now he could feel his hearts beating just a little faster than normal, the soft buzz of fear racing through him at the thought of just how far away they were from each other.

' _Thank you,_ ' Angel whispered to him, having caught the last of his words, ' _But even so, I think you'd better head back, I really don't like this._ '

He smiled a bit at how she didn't seem to like being separated from him either before he sighed, looking at the Pit, "Even now, standing on the edge. It's that feeling you get. Yeah?" he mused, just talking in thought, "Right at the back of your head. That impulse...that strange little impulse...that mad little voice saying 'go on...go on...go on...go over, go on...' maybe it's relying on that. For once in my life...Officer Scott...I'm going to say...retreat," he sighed and pulled back, as though it had taken effort to say that, but not as much effort, he knew, as it would take to go down there with Angel in some sort of possible future danger. He turned the comm. on, "Angel, Rose, we're coming back."

~8~

Rose smiled at Angel, both of them pleased, "Best news I've heard all day!" Rose remarked, when she noticed Jefferson release the safety on his gun and aim it at Toby, "What're you doing?"

"He's infected," Jefferson readied his gun, "He brought that thing onboard."

"He didn't _bring_ it onboard," Angel murmured, eyeing Toby, "It was _already_ here...waiting for you."

"Either way," Jefferson remained focused on Toby, "You saw it. It's IN him."

Toby's eyes widened as he shook on the floor.

Rose stepped forward, moving to block Jefferson's view of Toby by standing in front of the poor boy, "Are you gonna start shooting your own people, now? Is _that_ what you're gonna do? Is it?"

"If necessary," he remarked, jerking his head as though to tell her to move away.

"Well then, you'll have to shoot me 'if necessary,'" she crossed her arms, unwilling to move, "So what's it gonna be?"

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Angel asked quietly, just watching Rose curiously, not speaking in a nasty way but genuinely confused.

Rose looked over at her, shocked at her words, even after all that time with Angel, she wasn't quite sure how to interpret that, "What?"

"You defended the Dalek in Van Statten's museum...and it killed me. Now you're defending him?" she blinked at her, "He will try to kill us all."

"He's not a Dalek!" Rose countered, both angry that she would compare a frightened man to a Dalek and hurt that she would even bring that situation up, she already felt so guilty that Angel had been struck down by that Dalek, had regenerated apparently, "He's _human_!"

"And you're _sure_ of that?" Angel eyed her closely.

"Look at his face," Rose stepped just a little to the side, enough where Toby was partially visible, but not enough where Jefferson could get a clear shot, "Whatever it was, it's gone. It passed into _the Ood_. You _saw_ it happen. He's clean."

Angel sighed and shook her head, though clearly not believing it there was little she could do to persuade Rose otherwise, "If you say so."

Jefferson slowly lowered his gun, though he was more inclined to believe Angel's disbelieving tone than Rose, "Any sign of trouble...I'll shoot him."

Rose gave a short nod as Jefferson walked off, before returning her attention to Toby, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." he trembled, sounding as though he were about to cry, "I..." he swallowed, "Dunno."

"Can you remember anything?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"Just...it was so _angry_. It was...fury and rage... _death_..." he looked up at Rose, "It was him. It was the devil."

"Come here," Rose pulled him towards her and into a comforting hug, his eyes still wide as he looked over her shoulder, only to see Angel watching him a moment before she turned to look at the mine shaft.

~8~

The Doctor and Ida trudged back towards the capsule, the Doctor smiling as he saw it, his way back to Angel. He glanced over at Ida, "What's Strategy Nine?" he asked.

"Open the airlocks...we'll be safe inside the lockdown...the Ood will get thrown out into the vacuum."

"So we're going back to a slaughter?"

"The devil's work."

~8~

Jefferson, Danny, Rose, and Angel stood, waiting by the mine shaft, waiting for the all-clear to start the process, "Ok, we're in," Ida called through the comm., "Bring us up."

"Ascension in..." Jefferson looked at the computer as Rose smiled, "Three...two..."

Angel blinked, "It won't work…"

"One," Jefferson hit a switch and the lights went out all over, the room, the capsule, the control room, the whole base.

"This is the Darkness," the voice of the Beast rasped, "This is my domain," the screen flickered to life to show the Ood standing together before the cameras, the voice echoing from their orbs, "You little things that live in the light...clinging to your feeble Suns…which die in the..."

"That's not the Ood," Zach called over the comm., speaking over what the creature was saying, "Something's talking _through_ them."

"Only the Darkness remains."

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctury Base Six representing the Torchwood Archive. You will identify yourself."

"You _know_ my name."

"What do you want?"

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave."

Toby shook, startled, "It's him. It's him. It's him..."

"If you are the Beast," the Doctor called, "Then answer me this: which one? Hmm? 'Cos the Universe has been _busy_ since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archivits, Pordonity, Christianity, Pash-Pash, New Judaism, Sanclar, Church of the Tin Vagabond…which devil are you?"

"All of them," the Beast rasped.

"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?"

"This one knows me, as I know him. The killer of his own kind."

"How did you end up on this rock?" the Doctor ignored his last comment.

"The Disciples of the Light rose up against me. And chained me in the Pit for all eternity."

"When was this?"

"Before time."

"What does THAT mean?"

"Before time."

"What does 'before time' MEAN?!"

"Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this Universe was created."

"That's _impossible_. _No_ life could have existed back then."

"Is that _your_ religion?"

"It's a belief."

"You know _nothing_. All of you. So small," the Beast laughed, "The Captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife," Jefferson stiffened, "The scientist, still running from daddy," Ida gasped, "The little boy who lied," Danny frowned, "The virgin," Toby looked around shiftily, "The lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon. And the golden girl, burning like the sun in the heart of time, who will die...today."

"Doctor, what does it mean?" Rose gasped, now recognizing herself in the 'valiant child' remark.

"Rose, ignore him," Angel said quietly, though her hearts were racing at the Beast's words. She swallowed hard, reaching out to take Rose's hand, trying to comfort her, trying to ignore the Beast's supposed prophecy.

"What does it mean?" she repeated, looking at the woman.

"The Time Child shall die and _I_ will _live_ ," the Beast replied.

"Yeah?" Angel stepped forward, _knowing_ he meant her, _she_ was the golden girl, but feeling a flare of protectiveness rise in her, not just for the Doctor, but for the humans around her as well. The Beast...this _creature_...had _threatened_ them, claimed they would _die_ , and she would NOT have that, not if she could help it. She'd protect them, like she protected the Doctor and Rose and Mickey. And really, no matter what Beast this thing was, it was _nothing_ compared to the evil she'd seen of the Daleks, "Well if I'm gonna die it'll be taking you down with me."

"You will fail."

" _No one_ else will die today," she stated firmly, believing that with her whole hearts, with her entire being. The three Ood had fallen, the two guards, she would NOT have it happen to anyone else. The Ood...though she was loathe to admit it...were beyond help, all of them possessed by the Beast, but the humans, even Toby...they could be _saved_...somehow...

"You, who are like their savior, shall die for their mistakes. You have saved one already," Jefferson, Danny, and Rose looked at her, their eyes wide as they realized the only person who had _nearly_ died was Scooti, the lost girl, "But how long can you continue?"

"As long as I must."

It chuckled darkly, "You will fail!"

And then the feed of the Ood was suddenly replaced with a roaring, horned beast looking very much like what humans would call the Devil.

"What the hell was that?" Danny demanded, shaking.

"I had that thing inside my head," Toby moaned as they all grew frantic.

"Angel, what did it mean?" Rose turned to her, "We're going to die?"

"No, Rose we…" she began but Danny began to shout.

"What do we do?" Danny cried, "Jefferson?"

"Captain?" Jefferson shouted into the comm., "What's the situation on Strategy Nine?"

"Zach, what do we do?"

"What if I can fix it?" Toby muttered, "...the black hole..." Angel looked over at him at that, "Everything's true."

"Captain, report!" Jefferson shouted.

"We've lost pictures…" Zach began.

"How did it know all of…" Rose started, squeezing Angel's hand to pull her attention back.

"Did anyone get…" Ida spoke as well.

"Everyone just…" Angel tried to calm them.

"Jefferson?" Zach shouted.

"Stop…" the Doctor began.

"What did it mean?" Rose asked close to tears.

"Everyone just stop…" the Doctor tried again.

"What do we do?" Danny cried.

"Report!" Jefferson demanded.

Suddenly the comm. began to blare with a horrible screech as everyone fell silent, "If you want voices in the dark," the Doctor cut in sternly, "Then listen to _mine_ , that thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

"But that's how the devil works," Danny replied.

"Or a good psychologist."

"But...how did it know about my father?" Ida spoke quietly.

The Doctor was silent a moment, not having an answer.

"How did I know to take Scooti's report?" Angel asked just as quietly, admitting her hand in Scooti's survival to the others. The humans looked at her, "I can't answer Ida," she added, "I _truly_ can't. Some things...you just...know."

It wasn't a good explanation, it probably confused the humans even more. But it was as good an explanation as she could give. Because...she _didn't_ know. She didn't know _why_ she got 'feelings' about things. She didn't know why it was HER gift. She didn't know how it worked, when it would work, how strongly it would work. She couldn't answer _any_ of that.

It just...happened.

Whether she wanted it to or not.

And it was growing stronger, especially on this planet. There was just... _so much_...it was like she couldn't _not_ feel it. Not that THAT made any sort of sense at all.

"And what makes his version of the truth any better than mine. hmm?" the Doctor asked, not wanting the humans to start in on Angel.

He knew how vague an area her abilities were, how frustrated she became when she literally _couldn't_ explain one of her 'sensations' or how they happened, and he didn't want the humans to focus on _that_. Right now, he needed them to focus on keeping each other, on keeping _Angel_ , safe, because that remark about how 'the golden girl' would die just about sent him over the edge. But he reminded himself, over and over really, that the Beast, whatever it was, was just trying to scare them, to scare _him_. It was playing and preying on their fears and his largest one was of something happening to Angel. She was fine, she was safe, and the humans would protect her, he _had_ to believe that or the Beast would have won.

"'Cos I'll tell you what I can see: humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space. Flying in a tiny little rocket into the orbit of a black hole! Just for the sake of discovery, that's amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing. All of you. The captain, his officer, his elder, his genius, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him…"

"Doctor get out!" Angel suddenly shouted, her eyes widening as she turned towards the mine shaft a split second before the cable snapped.

"The cable's snapped!" Ida yelled.

"Get out!" the Doctor agreed as the cable fell, hurtling towards them. A moment later the base shook, dust flying up onto the Drill Deck from where the cable hit.

"Doctor!" Rose called over the comm., "We lost the cable! Doctor, are you alright?" it was silent, "Doctor?"

Angel closed her eyes, putting a finger to her temple as she focused on calming herself enough to reach out to the Doctor, nearly collapsing in relief at seeing him not only alive but conscious as well. So THAT was why she hadn't wanted him to get in the capsule. By the time the cable snapped...he'd have nearly been to the surface and to fall from that distance...she shook her head, opening her eyes, not wanting to think about that.

"Comms. are down," Zach reported.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?"

"I've still got life signs, but...we've lost the capsule."

"Say something, are you there?"

"There's no way out. They're stuck down there."

"But they're alive," Angel stepped over to Rose, putting a hand on her shoulder, "They're fine, and they're together. They're not hurt."

~8~

Down in the planet, the Doctor and Ida stood, brushing themselves off as they looked around, "How much air have we got?" the Doctor asked.

"60 minutes," Ida guessed before checking her device, "55."

He nodded, feeling just that little bit better that Angel was up there and not down in the Pit with her oxygen about to run out.

~8~

The small group peered down the mine shaft, "But we've GOT TO bring them back," Rose muttered.

"They're ten miles down," Jefferson shook his head, "We haven't got another ten miles of cable."

There was a loud bang on the door, making them all jump.

Jefferson held up his wrist, "Captain? Situation report."

~8~

Zach glanced up as something banged on the door to the control room as well. He walked over and opened a small window to see Ood staring back at him with what looked like enormous cutters, cutting around the door. He sighed, "It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in."

~8~

"Yeah, it's the same on Door 25," Jefferson confirmed.

"How long's it gonna take?" Rose frowned.

"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes," Jefferson remarked, when another bang sounded, "Eight."

Angel eyed the door, thankful for three things at the moment, that the comms. had cut out, that she and the Doctor hadn't reached the level of emotional bonds yet, and that _the Doctor_ wasn't the precog. If the Doctor heard all this going on...well...she didn't want to _think_ about what that would mean for Ida as the Doctor would be a raging madman till he got back to her side and saw she was alright. If the emotional bond had been established, he most certainly would have felt that flash of fear that had raced through her. Unlike the mental connection, the emotional bond was harder to block. You could throw mental barriers up in a micro-second, but it was harder to control your emotions, to hide them in that first reaction. And...if _he_ had been the precog...he definitely would have sensed the danger coming and just lost it, unable to get past the initial sense of danger and realize she would be fine...IF she would be fine...as the males tended to react to immediate danger.

She took a breath, _refusing_ to let any _inkling_ of this filter down to the Doctor from her mind, she COULDN'T let him know of the mounting danger. Not just for Ida's sake, but for his, he needed to focus and he needed to believe she was safe to do it.

"I've got a security frame," Zach added, "It might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you."

"What about Scooti?" Angel asked, recalling that the girl was currently in the med-bay.

"She's alright for now. It's got a security frame too. And she's sedated. Hopefully she'll sleep through this."

"Right," Rose breathed, "So we need to stop them...or get out...or both."

"I'll take both, yeah," Danny agreed, "But _how_?"

"You heard the Doctor. Why do you think that thing cut him off? 'Cos he was _making sense_. He was telling you to _think_ your way out of this. Come on! For a start, we need some lights. There's gotta be some sort of power _somewhere_."

"There's _nothing_ I can do," Zach said resentfully, "Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons."

"So press buttons then," Angel shrugged, not seeing why he was so cross.

"Exactly!" Rose cheered, "That's what the Doctor MEANT, press the _right_ buttons."

"They've gutted the generators!" Zach sighed...before he inhaled sharply, "But the rocket's got an _independent_ supply...if I could reroute that...Mr. Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety..."

Jefferson moved to a computer, pushing the requested buttons, "Opening bypass conduits, sir."

"Channeling rocket feed. In 3...2...1...power."

The lights went on and Rose clapped, "There we go."

"Let there be light!" Danny laughed.

"What about that Strategy Nine thing?"

"Not enough power," Jefferson shook his head, "It needs a hundred percent."

"Alright, we need a way out. Zach, Mr. Jefferson, you start working on that. Toby, what about you?"

Toby stood as she approached him, "I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything."

Angel glanced at him a moment, before turning away, moving to the edge of the mine shaft.

"No, you're the archaeologist," Rose nudged him, encouraging him, "What do you know about the Pit?"

"Well, n-n-nothing. We can't even translate the language."

Rose nodded sadly and turned away, "Right."

"H-hold on. Maybe…"

"What is it?" Rose turned back to him.

"Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters made more sense?"

"Well...get to work. Anything you can translate, just...anything," she turned to Danny, "As for you, Danny-boy, you're in charge of the Ood, any way of stopping them?"

"Well...I don't know…" he shrugged.

"Then find out," she pulled him to another computer, "The sooner we get control of the base, the sooner we can get the Doctor and Ida out. Shift," she smacked him playfully and turned to see Angel standing by the mine shaft, staring down at it. She slowly walked over, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder, knowing this must be getting to her, having the Doctor trapped down there with something claiming to be the Devil, "Are you alright?"

Angel looked up at her with a small smile, "I'm keeping tabs on the Doctor."

"Good," Rose nodded, "Let me know how they are."

Angel nodded as well and Rose turned to go check on the others. She sighed, looking back down the shaft before closing her eyes briefly. Just before...she'd gotten a feeling in the pit of her stomach at the words the Beast has spoken, he was right about only _one_ thing.

She would die.

She could _feel_ it in her bones, in _every_ beating of her hearts, in her very _soul_.

Yes, she was going to die...but she would be damned if she let anyone else.

She glanced over at Toby again as he sat working, eyeing him for a moment before turning away once more and closing her eyes, focusing on the Doctor, concentrating as much as she could on hearing the thoughts he wasn't actively trying to send her. It was hard, it really was, it was actually easier to read his mind when he was focusing on her own mind, but the connection was there, she just had to _really_ focus.

~8~

"We've got all this cable," Ida said, gathering up the cable as she examined the wrecked capsule, "We might as well use it. The drum's disconnected, we could adapt it. Feed it through."

"And then what?" the Doctor shook his head.

"Abseil. Into the Pit."

"Abseil. Right."

"We're running out of air with no way back. It's the only thing we CAN do. Even if it's the last thing we ever achieve."

"I'll get back," he told her firmly, "Angel's up there with Rose. I'll get back to her. I will ALWAYS get back to her."

Ida smiled at his promise, actually believing him he was speaking so passionately, "Well, maybe the key to that is finding out what's in the Pit."

"Well...it's _half_ of a good plan."

"What's the other half?"

"I go down. Not you."

~8~

Angel's eyes snapped open, of all the stupid…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, oh Angel :) But...are you worried? The Time Child will die? Angel? Well...we all know the Beast said Rose would die in battle and that didn't happen. Will Angel be safe? I suppose we'll find out :) Though...it's odd, isn't it? We hear those of Gallifrey being called 'Children of Gallifrey' but Angel was called a 'Time Child' by the Beast...hmm...wonder what that could mean... :)


	32. The Satan Pit: Into the Pit

"Open junctions five...six...seven..." Jefferson reported to them as the Ood banged on the door, "...reroute filters 16 to 24. Go."

"There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood," Danny told Rose as Toby worked away, "Trouble is, we haven't got them onboard."

"Well, that's handy, listing all the things we _haven't_ got," Rose deadpanned, "We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tescos."

"Or a cookie!" Angel called, having heard them.

"What?" Danny looked at her oddly.

Angel glanced over at him, shrugging, "I could use a cookie right now is all," she smiled at Rose before turning back to the mine shaft, her smile fading. Her stomach was twisting in knots, tighter and tighter with every pounding on the door. After that comment, Rose would probably just think she was hungry given that neither she nor the Doctor had eaten anything. And that was fine, she wanted Rose to think that, she DIDN'T want Rose to realize that she was starting to get nervous and worried.

The Beast's words kept ringing in her ear. How much longer _could_ she last? Scooti...she hadn't even realized why she'd taken the report, just that Scooti couldn't have it later. She knew Scooti was too young, she knew that the report couldn't stay with her papers, but...she didn't know what the report would have to do with it. It wasn't till she'd heard Scooti murmur that she'd been looking for it when the base shook that she'd realized that Scooti would have died giving the report to Toby, just as the Doctor said.

What if...what if she was too slow? What if she didn't catch a feeling quickly enough? What if she felt something but didn't realize the significance of it? What if someone else died when she could have stopped it? She hadn't been with Danny when the male guard had been attacked, she'd been focused on the Ood when Jefferson had opened the door and the female guard had been killed. As soon as that door had been opened, she'd _known_ something horrible was going to happen, that the Ood were there. But she'd been too slow and the guard had suffered for it.

What if that happened again?

What if Rose was harmed?

What if...what if _the Doctor_ was harmed?

She let out a breath, she really _could_ use a cookie right now...or one of the Doctor's hugs. She needed to calm down, she needed to _focus_. Getting worked up...it would make her distracted, and then she really _would_ miss something.

And she couldn't afford that.

The computer pinged and the word 'Affirmative' blinked on screen, "Oh my God," Danny breathed, "It says yes! I can do it! Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare...it can disrupt the telepathy! Brainstorm!"

"What happens to the Ood?" Rose shook her head, not knowing what that meant.

"It'll tank them, spark out!"

"There we are, then! Do it!"

"No, but...I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation."

There was another bang as sparks flew.

"That's what we'll do, then," Rose looked at the door, before walking over to Jefferson, "Mr. Jefferson, sir! Any way out?"

"Just about..." he smiled, "There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here."

"Ventilation shafts," Rose laughed.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms."

There was another bang.

Angel winced.

"But I can manipulate the oxygen field from here," Zach added over the comm., "Create discrete pockets of atmosphere...if I control it manually...I can follow you through the network."

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us," Rose grinned, "By hand."

"You wanted me pressing buttons."

"Yeah, I asked for it, ok, we need to get to Ood Habitation, work out a route."

~8~

Down by the Pit, the Doctor and Ida worked on securing the cable so the Doctor could abseil down, "That should hold it," Ida relied, looking down at their work, "How's it going?"

The Doctor walked towards the Pit, "Fine! Should work...doesn't feel like such a good idea now," he stood on the edge and looked down into it, "Ha...there it is again. That itch," he bobbed up and down, "Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down."

It wasn't excitement anymore. It wasn't curiousity. No. He could feel it inside him, rising up the longer he was down there. The drive to get back to Angel. Ida had been right, their only chance of getting back to the surface was finding out what was in the Pit, finding out if there was something down there that could help them. THAT had been why he'd decided to go instead of Ida. As soon as the words had left her mouth that it might be their only chance to make it back, HE had to do it. He needed to find a way back, and he was the only one he trusted to do it. He wanted to go down there, his mind repeating it over and over, go down, go down, go down...so he could get back, get back, get back...

Angel was counting on him.

And he would _never_ fail her.

"The urge to jump," Ida nodded, unaware of his silent musings, "Do you know where it comes from, that sensation? Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It's our body's way of testing us. Calculating whether or not we can reach the next branch."

"No, that's not it..." he said thoughtfully, "That's too kind. It's not the urge to jump, it's deeper than that. It's the urge to fall!" he jumped back and into the hole.

"Doctor!" Ida shouted, pressing a button and making the cable taut, stopping him from falling, "Are you ok?"

"Not bad, thanks. The wall of the Pit...seems to be the same as the cavern, just..." he shined his torch down, "Not much of it. There's a crust about twenty feet down and then...nothing. Just the Pit. Ok, then. Lower me down."

"Well, here we go, then," Ida pushed another button, slowly lowering him down.

~8~

There was a more violent bang on the door of the drill room, Rose, Jefferson, Toby, and Angel already standing by the maintenance tunnel as Danny stood at the computer.

"Danny!" Rose called.

"Hold on!" he typed quickly, "Just conforming..."

"Dan, you gotta go NOW!" Jefferson shouted as another bang hit, knowing the door wouldn't last much longer, they were pushing the time they had even as it was, "Come on!"

The computer pinged.

"Yeah!" he pulled an orange computer chip out of it and hurried over to them, "Put that in the monitor...and it's a _bad_ time to be an Ood!"

"We're coming back," Rose looked at them all, "Have you got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor and Ida out."

"Yes we will," Angel smiled and nodded.

"Ok, Danny, you go first, then you Miss Tyler, then Angel, then Toby," Jefferson instructed, "I'll go last in defense of position. Now come on! Quick as you can!"

They all lowered themselves down in order, Rose landing next to Danny and sniffing, "God, it _stinks_. You alright?"

Angel dropped down after her.

"Yeah, I'm _laughing_ ," Danny rolled his eyes, and then Toby dropped in, "Which way do we go?"

"Just go straight ahead," Zach instructed, "Keep going 'til I say so."

Jefferson dropped down just as the Ood broke into the room, advancing. They quickly crawled down the tunnel, Rose staring at Danny's bum ahead of her, "Not your best angle, Danny."

"Oi!" Danny cried, "Stop it!"

"I dunno, it could be worse," Toby remarked, eyeing both Angel and Rose's bums.

"Oi!" they cried, indignant.

Angel shifted uncomfortably, feeling the familiar discomfort that came when men besides the Doctor made comments like that. It had happened when they'd met Jack, though he'd calmed down in his flirting and innuendo around her, but still...it just felt...wrong...to her to have men say things like that when she was completely taken by another man. She felt the same though when other women did the same to the Doctor.

She hadn't said but...when Rose, well, _Cassandra_ , had kissed the Doctor on New Earth, at first, she'd felt her hearts drop into her stomach and start to fracture. It had... _hurt_. At that point she still hadn't been able to believe that _the Doctor_ had truly wanted _her_ to be his Mate. To see him kissing, well, _being_ kissed, by someone else had made her lose her breath, made her feel like she'd been shoved hard in the stomach, made her feel numb. But she'd been able to see past it. Actually, it felt more like her sensations had been forced to the forefront of her mind at that point, sending off warning signals in her mind and hearts that it _hadn't_ been _Rose_ , that something about the entire thing was _wrong_ , that the Doctor would NEVER betray her like that.

And she'd been right.

Thankfully.

She still didn't like other women flirting with him though, he was HER Mate, just like she was HIS. Though...she had to admit, she DID love it when he reacted to other men paying her _that_ sort of attention. It was adorable.

"Straight along until you find junction 7.1," Zach called, "Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you."

They reached a junction of tunnels and sat down, out of breath, "We're at 7.1, sir," Danny said.

"Ok, I've got you…" Zach said. They could hear him pressing a few buttons and a bang on the door, "I'm just aerating the next section."

"Getting kinda cramped, sir...can't you hurry up?"

"I'm working on half power, here."

"Stop complaining," Jefferson grumbled.

"Mr. Jefferson says 'stop complaining,'" Rose turned to Danny.

"I heard," he remarked.

"He heard."

"But the air's getting a bit thin," Toby called into the comm..

"HE'S complaining now," Angel joked.

"I heard," Jefferson nodded.

Danny wiped his brow with the back fo his hand as Rose sniffed, "Danny, is that _you_?"

"I'm not exactly _happy_!" he shouted defensively.

"I'm just moving the air…" Zach informed them, "I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm...or it's gonna feel worse."

There was a loud banging from the other end of the tunnel, Jefferson turning to aim his gun.

"What was _that_?" Danny breathed.

"Mr. Jefferson, what was that?" Rose asked.

"What's that noise?" Toby looked alarmed.

"Captain...what was that?" Jefferson called.

"It's the Ood," Angel replied, staring down the tunnel.

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened," Zach confirmed, "They're in the tunnels!"

"Well, open the gate!" Danny shouted.

"I've gotta get the air in!"

"Just open it! Sir."

"Where are they?" Rose asked, "Are they close?"

"Don't know, I can't tell," Zach grumbled, "I can't _see_ them...the computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms."

"Whose idea was _that_?"

"OPEN the gate!" Danny practically shouted into the wrist device.

The gate opened and they lunged through it.

"Danny, turn left," Zach called, "Immediate left."

They crawled through the tunnel as fast as they could, Jefferson doing so backwards as he aimed his gun, "The Ood, sir, can't you trap them? Cut off the air?"

"Not without cutting off yours," Zach reminded them as the Ood pursued them down the tunnel, they could hear them coming but not quite see them yet, "Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan, they're gonna catch up!"

Danny did as he was told, frantically crawling when Jefferson stopped at a corner, "I'll maintain defense of position!"

"You can't stop!" Rose shouted.

"Miss Tyler, that's my _job_. You've got your task, now see to it."

"You heard what he said, now SHIFT!" Toby shouted, shoving them.

Angel sat back, allowing Toby to go past her as she reached out and grabbed Jefferson's jacket, tugging him, "Come on!"

"It's my job to protect you lot," Jefferson shook her off.

"And you can't do that if you're _dead_!" Angel argued, her hearts racing, something inside her telling her NOT to leave Jefferson there, "I saved Scooti and I'm gonna save you too, I'm _not_ losing anyone else, you can defend us by the next door, now _come on_!" she pulled him back, actually managing to force him to crawl after her as the Ood advanced. They reached the next panel, Jefferson turning back and aiming, firing at the Ood that appeared at the end of the tunnel.

"8.2!" Danny shouted, "Open 8.2 Zach!"

"I've gotta aerate it!" Zach called back.

"OPEN IT NOW!"

"I'm TRYING!"

Danny started hitting the gate, desperate for it to open.

"Danny," Angel reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, "Stop. Everything'll be fine. And nothing will come of you hurting your hand," she grabbed it, squeezing it, "You'll need these to get that chip in and enter the commands to stop the Ood ok? Just...breathe."

Danny swallowed hard but took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, seeing that she was right. If he hurt himself then he wouldn't be able to input any of the commands they'd need. Sure, he could tell one of the others what to type, but it would be faster if he did it himself.

"Zach, get it open!" Toby called into the wrist comm., still just as frantic.

Angel forced herself not to look at him...she just...couldn't bring herself to try and 'calm' him, not now, not knowing that it wasn't _really_ Toby, knowing he was just doing it to alarm the others.

"Working on it!" Zach snapped.

A moment later 8.2 opened.

Danny, Rose, Angel, Toby, and Jefferson all scrambled through it, Jefferson firing one last round at another Ood as he moved back, "Come on!" Danny called, leading them down the tunnel.

"Danny, turn left and head for 9.2. That's the last one…"

Jefferson _just_ managed to shuffle himself back through the gate a _moment_ before it closed, sealing them off from the Ood. They all let out a sigh of relief as they slumped against the wall by 9.2, just taking a moment to gather their bearings and breathe.

Angel reached out and put a hand on Jefferson's shoulder, "I told you you'd still be able to protect us," she offered him a small smile.

Jefferson looked at her a moment before nodding in return, realizing what she'd just done...she'd saved him, just like she had Scooti. He could see now, if he'd stayed out there, there was NO way he would have made it past the door in time. He'd have been trapped out there with the Ood. He had no idea how she'd done it, how she'd known that he would probably have been trapped, but he was thankful that she had, that she'd forced him to follow. It was in his entire being to protect his team, and now, he'd still have that chance.

"Zach..." Danny called into the comm., "We're at the final junction. 9.2."

"Opening 9.2."

Angel's eyes widened, "No don't!"

But it was too late.

The gate opened to reveal Ood right behind it, waiting for them.

They scrambled back shocked.

"Lower 9.2!" she yelled.

"Zach, lower it!" Rose called.

"Back!" Danny shouted, "Back! Back!"

"We can't _go_ back!" Toby replied as Jefferson leaned around him but couldn't get a proper shot in without worrying about hitting Rose or Danny, "The gang point's sealed off, we're _stuck_!"

"Go up!" Jefferson shouted, knowing the layout of the tunnel system.

Rose looked up, seeing the grilling above them, "Come on!" she pushed it out of the way and jumped out from the tunnel, Danny and Angel following, they turned and hefted Jefferson out, "Come on!" Rose shouted as Toby looked down the tunnel to see the Ood crawling towards him, "Toby, come on!"

~8~

Toby looked at the Ood, placing a finger on his lips, his eyes red once more.

~8~

"Toby, get out of there!" Rose shouted.

"Help me!" Toby scrambled up, his eyes normal, "Oh, my God, help me!"

Rose and Danny pulled him through the hole. Jefferson fired a few rounds at the Ood approaching from one end of the corridor as Angel put the grilling back down, her eyes catching Toby's for a moment, distrust clear in them. His own eyes widened at the implication that she KNEW, before he sent her a small smirk, knowing also that she COULDN'T tell anyone, they wouldn't believe her.

"It's this way!" Danny rushed off, leading them down the corridor, Jefferson helping keep the Ood at bay a moment longer.

~8~

There was a bang against the control room door as Zach picked up his bolt gun, "Hurry up!"

~8~

The Ood standing outside the med-bay cut through the last few bolts of the security frame, glancing in to see a sleeping Scooti with an IV in her arm, lying on a small bed, a small white bandage on her cut.

~8~

The group ran through the door of Ood Habitation, rushing over to the computer when Angel and Jefferson noticed another set of Ood already inside, looking up at them from the pen. Jefferson took aim, readying himself.

"Get it in!" Rose yelled, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Danny, get down," Toby shouted, trying to lock the door.

"Transmit!"

"I'm trying, I'm _trying_!" Danny fumbled, "I'm getting at it…"

"Stop them!" Toby turned to Jefferson as the Ood made their way towards them, he let out a round of fire, striking a few of them, but they kept coming…until his gun ran out.

~8~

With a final bang the doors to the control room opened and the Ood entered to see Zach pointing his bolt gun at them.

~8~

The door to the med-bay swung open and a handful of Odd slowly crept towards the sleeping woman.

~8~

"Danny, get that thing transmitting!" Rose shouted.

Danny banged it into the computer, the readings shooting down to Basic 0. The Ood grabbed their heads and stumbled around all over the ship, from the habitations to the control room to the med-bay till they finally fell to the floor.

"You did it!" Rose cheered, "We did it!"

"Yes!" Danny smiled, hugging Rose in delight as hugs and handshakes were thrown all around.

"Zach, we did it," Angel reported into the comm., "Danny stopped the Ood."

"Now we've gotta get the Doctor and Ida," Rose agreed.

"I'm on my way," Zach called as they all rushed out of their rooms to meet back in the Drill Deck.

~8~

The Doctor spoke to Ida through their comm. as he was lowered into the Pit in complete darkness. He knew he was a talker by nature, but this was more than just rambling for the sake of rambling, this was...distraction. If ever he needed one, it was now. This was taking _far_ too long. If he had just fallen, he'd have gotten nearer to the bottom of the Pit or the end of the cable ages ago...this... _this_ was the _worst_ form of torture. Going so slowly when the desperation to get back to Angel only increased with each second. The fact that the comms. had cut off didn't help. He had tried to reach out to her mind periodically...but Angel kept insisting that everything was under control. He could tell that there was something else to it. Angel wasn't a very good liar, but...half-truths weren't lies. Things may have been under control, but that could also mean that things had gotten _out_ of control as well. And that worried him, because he knew she wouldn't say completely, not when she was as worried about him as he was about her. She wouldn't tell him if she was in danger to keep him focused, not wanting to worry him, but it really just made him worry more.

"You get representations of the Horned Beast right across the Universe," he murmured, "In the myths and legends of a million worlds. Earth, Draconia, Velconsadine, Daemos, the Kaled God of War, it's the same image, over and over again. Maybe...that idea came from somewhere. Bleeding through...the thought at the back of every sentient mind."

"Emanating from here?" Ida guessed.

"Could be."

"But if this is the original...does that make it real? Does that make it the actual devil, though?"

"Well, if that's what you want to believe. Maybe that's what the devil is, in the end. An idea."

The cable ran out, the Doctor jolting as it suddenly stopped.

"That's it," Ida called, "That's all we've got. You getting any sort of readout?"

The Doctor pushed a few buttons on his wrist device, "Nothing. Could be miles to go yet. Or...could be thirty feet. No way of telling," he paused, thinking about it, "I could survive thirty feet."

"Oh no, you don't. I'm pulling you back up," he quickly pushed a button stopping the hoist Ida was trying to initiate, "What're you doing?!"

"You bring me back, then we're just gonna sit there and run out of air," he tried very hard to keep from growling at the woman, his mind immediately going to the thought that she was trying to keep him from getting back to Angel when he knew very well that wasn't the case. She didn't deserve to be lashed out at, "I'm GOING down," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"But you _can't_ ," Ida murmured, truly sounding scared, "Doctor, you can't."

"Call it an act of faith," he replied, starting to release the hooks securing him to the cable.

"But...I don't want to die on my own."

He paused, "I know," before releasing another hook.

~8~

The group ran into the Drill Deck to see Zach already there, Rose ran over to the comm. as Angel stopped by the mine shaft, "Doctor?" Rose called, "Are you there? Doctor? Ida? Can you hear me?"

"The comms. are still down," Zach told her, "I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute."

He started to work as Angel looked down the shaft sadly, "He's going to jump…" she breathed, though no one seemed to hear her.

She closed her eyes, taking a breath, and focusing, feeling more comfortable will letting him see into her mind when theirs connected now that the danger had passed. She'd kept her responses brief earlier, just wanting to let him know she was fine, reassure him enough, but now...now she needed to connect to him...because _he_ needed _her_...

~8~

"I didn't ask," the Doctor mumbled as he released another hook, "Have you got any sort of faith, or..."

"Not really," Ida sighed, "I was brought up Neo Classic, congregational...because of my mum, she was...my old mum. But no, I never believed."

"Neo Classic, have they got a devil?"

"No, not as such. Just um...the things that men do."

"Same thing in the end."

"What about you?"

He paused, thinking a moment, "I believe...I believe I haven't seen everything, I don't know...it's funny, isn't it? The things you make up, the rules. If that thing had said it came from BEYOND the Universe, I'd believe it, but BEFORE the Universe...impossible. Doesn't fit my rule. Still, that's why I keep travelling. To be proved wrong."

' _Doctor?_ ' Angel's voice whispered in his head, seeing what he was planning.

' _What do you think?_ ' he asked her.

She was silent a moment, ' _I think…it'll be alright…_ '

He nodded, hoping her feeling was spot on as always, "Thank you, Ida," he said, unhooking the last strap.

"Don't go!" Ida cried suddenly.

"If they get back in touch...if you talk to Angel...just tell her...tell her I..." he paused again, not wanting those words to come from someone else even if HE had been the one to give the message. He smiled though, "Oh, she knows."

' _Yes I do,_ ' she whispered, ' _I love you too._ '

He smiled softly, content, before letting go of the hook and falling back into the dark, the smile still present on his face, soon...soon he'd find a way back to her.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice came over the comm., "Are you there? Doctor, Ida? Can you hear me?"

~8~

"Are you there, Doctor?" Rose continued to call.

"He's gone," Ida replied.

"What do you mean, 'he's gone?'"

"He fell. Into the Pit. And I don't know how deep it is, miles and miles and miles."

"But...what do you mean 'he fell?'" Rose's voice started to break, afraid for her friend, afraid for what that would mean for her sister to lose her Mate.

"I couldn't stop him. Angel, he said your name..."

"I know," Angel cut in, "And he's alive. He _is_. I _know_ he is."

Zach reached out and gently tugged the comm. from Rose who looked at Angel hopefully. Angel just nodded and walked over to her, putting a comforting arm around her. Rose didn't have the connection she had to the Doctor, that feeling, that sensation that united Time Lords, Rose couldn't sense the Doctor's life force like she could. To Rose, she must've thought, for those brief moments, that he had died.

"Ida?" Zach called, "There's no way of reaching you. No cable, no backup...you're ten miles down...we can't get there."

"You should see this place, Zach," Ida whispered, "It's beautiful. Well, I wanted to discover things..." she teared up a bit, "And here I am."

"We've got to abandon the base. I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again."

"But we'll never find out what it was?"

"Well, maybe that's best."

"Yeah."

Zach was silent a moment, "Officer Scott…"

"It's alright. Just go. Good luck."

"Thank you," Zach told her, turning the comm. off, "Danny, Toby, close down the feed links, get the retrotopes online. Jefferson go get Scooti from the med-bay, bring her to the ship," Jefferson nodded and rushed off, "All of us meet back at the rocket, strap yourselves in. We're leaving."

Rose looked up at him, "I'm not going. Angel and I, we're not leaving."

"Rose, there's space for you both…"

"No. We're gonna wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for..."

"I'm sorry, but..."

"You don't _know_ him," Rose cut in, tears in her eyes.

She needed him to come back safe and sound, not for her, no, but for Angel, for her sister, she didn't ever want Angel to have to suffer another loss like she had her family and her people. Nor did she want the Doctor to suffer the same. But, right now, the Doctor was in more danger than they were, _he_ was the one at risk of never coming back, and she couldn't bear it if something happened to him, because Angel would be devastated.

"He's down there right now. How could we just leave him? All on his own, all the way down there? No. I'm gonna stay and Angel's gonna..."

"Rose," Angel said softly, "He wouldn't _want_ us to stay."

"But…" Rose began, looking at her, completely surprised, that was NOT what she was expecting.

"Yes, he's alive. But he'd want _us_ to _stay_ alive. He _will_ find his way out Rose," and she _knew_ he would, she could _feel_ it, he'd come back to her, somehow, someway, "Trust him, but WE need to find out way out as well. Trust _me_ , ok?" Rose nodded, "But we need to go, _now_ ," she looked up at Zach, "The Ood are waking up."

Zach's eyes widened and he rushed out of the room to the corridor to see the Ood twitching.

"Did that one just move?" Toby pointed to one.

"The telepathic field, it's reasserting itself," Danny said, watching as the aliens blinked.

"Move it, get to the rocket, move!" Zach called, leading them down the corridor towards the ship.

~8~

The Doctor was lying face down at the bottom of the Pit, his helmet shattered.

' _Theta…_ ' Angel's voice whispered in his head.

His face twitched as though trying to rouse itself.

' _Theta._ '

He groaned.

' _Theta!_ '

The Doctor's eyes snapped open, jerking up to reach at his helmet, gasping, seeing that it was broken…and yet he was _still_ breathing.

' _Are you alright?_ '

' _Fine,_ ' he replied, ' _And you?_ '

' _Zach ordered us to the rocket…_ '

' _Good,_ ' he nodded to himself, ' _I want you safe._ '

He pushed himself up and looked around, "I'm breathing," he pulled his helmet off, "Air cushion to support the fall..." he turned on the comm., "You can breathe down here, Ida," but there was static, "Can you hear me, Ida?"

~8~

"Dislocating B-Clamp," Zach called as he took his seat, piloting, Angel in the seat beside him, with Rose behind her, sitting on the right of Toby with Danny on his left, Scooti and Jefferson in the medical part of the ship, "C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates to maximum, Toby, how's the negapact feed line?"

"Clear!" Toby reported, "Ready to go, sir. For God's sake, get us out of here!"

Rose looked over at Angel when she heard the girl gasp, only to see her rubbing her temples with her hands, "You alright?" she leaned forward to rest a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Fine," she nodded, she'd probably just overexerted herself trying to call the Doctor when he was unconscious.

"And...liftoff!" Zach shouted, whooping as the rocket lifted off.

~8~

Ida looked up from her spot, sitting on the edge of the Pit, at the sound of the rumbling.

~8~

The Doctor looked up as well, "There it goes..." he muttered with a sigh.

At least he knew Angel and Rose were safe.

Now he just had to find a way back to them.

~8~

"Seriously," Rose continued, eyeing Angel in concern, "You look like you're gonna pass out."

And indeed the woman looked unnaturally pale, Rose could feel her shaking under her hand, getting worse the farther they made it away from the planet and the black hole.

"I'm fine," Angel breathed, "I think…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no...what's wrong with Angel? Well, we know she hasn't been feeling quite right since they got there...but...why is it getting worse now that they're leaving? I hope it's nothing too bad :(


	33. The Satan Pit: Light vs. Dark

"Take a look outside," Zach called, not noticing Rose and Angel's quiet conversation.

Rose glanced out to see them moving farther and farther away from the black hole, from the planet, from the Doctor. She bit her lip, Angel said the Doctor would find a way out, she had to trust both of them and believe in them both.

~8~

The Doctor flashed his torch on the wall of an underground cavern, where crude drawings of a horned beast and tiny stick figures surrounding it were sketched, "History of some big battle," he commented, "Man against Beast. I dunno if you're getting this, Ida. Hope so. Anyway, they defeated the Beast and imprisoned it," the light fell to what looked like a large vase on a stand. He glanced back at the picture to see the stick figures carrying the vase on their heads. He stepped towards it, seeing another one in line with it, "Or maybe that's the key..." he touched the vase and they both lit up, "Or the gate, or the bars..." he turned, hearing a quiet growl to see a huge horned beast chained up in a pit right in front of him.

~8~

Toby started laughing quietly, smirking to himself.

"What's the joke?" Danny looked over at him.

"Just...we made it," his smirk morphed into a smile, "We escaped. We actually _did_ it."

"Not all of us," Rose remarked.

"We're not out of it _yet_ ," Zach added, "We're still the first people in history to fly AWAY from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats."

"Gravity funnel holding, sir," his smirk returned, "Always holding."

Angel closed her eyes and swallowed hard, actually able to _feel_ herself shaking, it was actually starting to get hard to breath as well now...

~8~

"I accept that you exist," the Doctor said to the Beast, "I don't have to accept what you _are_ , but you're physical existence, I'll give you _that_ ," it growled as the Doctor stepped forward, "But I don't understand. I was EXPECTED down here. I was given a safe landing, and air. You need me for something. What for?"

The Beast lunged at him, struggling against the chains.

"Have I got to...I dunno, beg an audience? Or...is there a ritual? Some sort of incantation or summons or spell, all these things I don't believe in, are they real?"

The Beast stared at him.

"Speak to me! Tell me!" there was no reply, "You won't talk. Or...you CAN'T talk. Hold on, hold on. Wait a minute, just let me..." he frowned, thinking hard, "Oh! No. Yes! No...think it through, you SPOKE before. I _heard_ your voice. An _intelligent_ voice. No, more than that, brilliant! But, looking at you now...all I can see..."

The Beast growled.

"Is...Beast. The animal. Just...the body. You're just the body, the physical form! What's happened to your mind? Hmm? Where's it gone? Where's that intelligence?" he glanced up, the realization dawning on him, "Oh, no..."

His hearts constricted painfully and he could feel that flare rising up in him again. _Angel_ was trapped up there, on a rocket, with Toby, whose mind had been possessed by the Beast's. His fists clenched as he realized he had no way of getting to her. Unlike with the Wire, where he could run and fight and find the creature, stop it...he couldn't run now. There was no way out. He could fight, but how? The creature was there, right in front of him, the reason for Angel's danger, now he just had to find a way to stop it...

He looked over at the symbols on the wall again, they HAD to tell him how to stop the Beast, to force its mind back to its body, to save Angel. It HAD to.

~8~

Angel groaned as she opened her eyes, blinking quickly, she felt _so_ lightheaded, so dizzy, her stomach churned terribly, everything seemed to be distorted, fuzzy.

"Stats. at 53, funnel status at 66.5," Toby read, "Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir. All the way back home. Coordinates set for...Planet Earth."

~8~

The Doctor aimed his light on the symbols on the walls again, his mind racing, barely speaking in full sentences as he tried to work out what the humans or the Disciples of the Light had done previously to stop the Beast, needing to know so he could do it again, "You're imprisoned. Long time ago. Before the Universe. After, sideways, in between, doesn't matter. Positioning's PERFECT _._ Absolute. Eternal," he put a hand to his head, closing his eyes, trying to force himself calm, an impossible task it seemed, needing to focus, to make sense of it. But he couldn't help it, Angel was in danger, his mind was so scattered with thoughts of returning to her, of getting the mind of the Beast back into the Pit, into its prison...

"YES!" his eyes flew open as he rounded on the Beast, "Open the prison, the gravity field collapses! This planet falls into the black hole! You escape, you die. BRILLIANT! But that's just the body. The _body_ is trapped. The devil is just an idea. In all those civilizations, just an idea," he paused, moving forward, "But an idea is hard to kill. An idea could escape. The mind, the _mind_ of the great Beast, the mind can escape! _You_ didn't give me air, your _jailers_ did! _They_ set this up! All those years ago! They need me _alive_. Because if you're escaping, then I've gotta _stop_ you!"

The Beast roared, pulling against the chains as the Doctor picked up a rock.

"If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it!" he swung the rock down, ready to smash the vase, when he suddenly dropped it, devastated, the worst thought of them all striking him only a moment before the rock met the vase, "But you're clever enough to use this whole system against me," he swallowed hard, his eyes wide, face paled as he realized what it would mean to destroy the vases now, "If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket...the rocket loses protection and falls into the black hole. I'll have to sacrifice all of them… _Angel_ …"

The Beast laughed.

The Doctor looked back at it, a dark look on his face. The Beast knew of his love for Angel. However it knew about the fears of the crew, it knew about his fear of losing her, it truly was using it against him now. It was his job to protect his Mate, it was his instinct to keep her safe. This whole thing was warring against him. Destroy the vase, protect her from the mind of the Beast...destroy the vase, she would fall into the black hole along with it. How could he save her when the only way to do it would also kill her?

He couldn't...

The Beast had won.

~8~

"It doesn't make sense," Rose muttered, though her glance kept drifting to the back of Angel's chair, worried, "We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've...ripped out the air or...I dunno, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why? Unless it _wanted_ us to escape..."

"Hey, Rose, do us a favor…" Toby half-sneered at her, "Shut up."

Angel blinked, looking down at her hands, frowning as she flexed them before her…her eyes widening as she realized she could see _through_ them…she seemed to be fading…

Well...that was new.

"Almost there," Toby turned back to the readings, "We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in 40...39..."

Angel turned suddenly in her seat to look at Rose, "Rose, do you trust me?"

"Yeah," Rose said, startled, seeing Angel had a sheer layer of sweat on her brow, she was far paler than she'd ever seen the woman before, "Course I do."

"Then believe me. Everything _will_ be alright…"

And right before Rose's eyes, she disappeared…

~8~

Angel gasped as she stumbled back into one of the Y-beams of the TARDIS. She had no idea how she'd been pulled there but she had little time to think on it as the hatch that held the Heart of the TARDIS opened, the golden light streaming out of it… _headed_ _straight for her_.

She backed up swiftly, trying to avoid it, terrified since her last encounter with it, what it had led to, until she hit the wall…there was nowhere to go, "No…" she whispered as it came closer, "Please, _don't_ …"

But it was too late, the light swirled around her, striking her in the chest, absorbing straight into her. She gasped, falling to her knees as the energy, the power, filled her as she screamed, her eyes shut tight until she fell forward onto her hands, trembling, her body as sore as when she'd woken up in the TARDIS on the Game Station.

Her eyes snapped open, swirling with the golden energy of the Vortex.

She stood, breathing heavily as the power settled in her, soothing her pains. She looked down at her hands, seeing the golden energy swirling around her arms, before she disappeared in a flash of gold.

She knew what she had to do.

~8~

"So, _that's_ the trap," the Doctor glared at the Beast, his soul crying out in agony, feeling utterly helpless to save his Mate, "The test. The final judgment. If I kill you, I kill _her_. And that is something..." he shook his head, "I could NEVER do."

The Beast laughed, roaring at his victory over the man before him.

' _Theta…_ ' Angel's voice echoed through his mind, stronger than he'd _ever_ heard it, it almost sounded like she was right beside him, talking to him.

' _Nella?_ '

' _Do you trust me?_ '

' _Of course._ "

' _Then believe in me. It will be alright…_ '

He took a breath, turning back to the Beast, a renewed determination in him at her words, she always did that, knew EXACTLY what to say to get him fighting fit once more, "Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils and Angels and Demons, that _she's_ just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this Universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in _one thing_...just _one_ thing..." he said with a passion, "I believe in HER!"

He grabbed the rock and turned, trusting his Mate and smashing the vase...

~8~

The rocket shook violently, "What happened?" Danny shouted, "What was that?!"

"What's he doing?" Toby's eyes widened, "What is he doing?"

Rose's attention turned to Toby at his words, not sure what he was talking about, who he was talking about. There was no specific HE there nor was HE doing anything to the boy.

"We've lost the funnel!" Zach reported, "Gravity collapse!"

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, looking back at Zach.

"We can't escape. We're headed straight for the black hole!"

The rocket turned back on itself, spiraling towards the hole.

~8~

The Doctor smashed the other vase with a primal cry before he threw down the rock and turned to the Beast, " _This_ is your freedom!" he shouted, pointing up at it with a dark look, "Free to die! You threatened my Mate! You put her in danger!" he glared, "You're _going_ into that black hole..." before he felt the air leave him, "And I'm riding _with_ you," he took a breath, looking up at the Beast in time to see it breathe fire _right at him_. He lifted his hands to shield himself, waiting for the blast...only to feel _nothing_.

He opened his eyes to see a golden wall, a very familiar energy about it, before him, keeping the fire at bay. He looked to his side to see Angel right beside him, holding out a hand at the Beast, surrounded by the Vortex, the golden energy swirling around her, pouring out of her as she faced the Beast, "Angel!" he shouted, his eyes wide, "You've got to _stop_!"

His hearts were racing. _Not again_. How had she even managed to _get_ to the Vortex, to open the Heart of the TARDIS? She'd been in the _rocket_! The TARDIS was trapped below. Yet here she was, that same power that had nearly killed her last time flowing around her...only now...there was no bio-coded power cell to siphon the power, to slowly feed it into her. It was ALL in her now. And he knew what that meant, the power would be greater, more damaging. It was what forced him to regenerate last time. He couldn't remove the bio-coded cell from her, but he had been able to pull the Vortex out of her...HE'D taken in all of its power, and it had destroyed his body to do it for only a few moments. And here Angel was, with the power within her completely...his worst fears coming to life.

That power...it would _kill_ her...

"I know what to do Doctor," she spoke, her voice echoing as it had the last time.

"Just let it go," he pleaded, stepping closer, if he could get her to look at him, he could _try_ and pull the power out as well. She was too close to the ledge, he couldn't move in front of her...he...he couldn't even _touch_ her the power was flowing around her that greatly, "Let the planet fall into the black hole."

"I cannot," she breathed, continuing to stare at the Beast, as though knowing his plan and not letting him see it through, "It _must_ not. It _isn't_ a black hole, it is another part of the Beast."

"What?"

"This is his body. The black hole is his soul. If he should fall in, his powers will increase, the hole will grow and devour everything. I must stop it," she held out her other hand, the energy blasting from her to swarm around the Beast, making it cry out in agony.

"But…you can't!" he shook his head.

Why would the Beast's mind be trying to escape...unless...it KNEW that he'd smash the vases to pull it back to its body, KNOWING they would both fall into the hole and be united again. He swallowed, he didn't have time to think about that, it wasn't important, right now he needed to get the power out of his Mate, it had been in her too long, she'd used too much of it...he...he didn't think her body could take much more.

"Please Angel, the Vortex...it will _destroy_ you!"

"You must go," she replied, not even looking away from the monster as she basically told him to abandon her, "Save Ida."

"I can't just _leave_!"

"Take the TARDIS."

The Doctor looked over, watching in amazement as the TARDIS appeared in a golden swirl. He shook his head, "I _can't_ leave you…"

"You _must_ ," she whispered, now looking at him, but with _such_ a sadness in her eyes, as though she knew what would be coming for her, "Save her, I will save the rest."

"But..."

"You cannot help me this time Doctor," she said quietly, knowing it was true, knowing she wouldn't let him even if he tried, "Please… _go_ …"

"No," he shook his head, standing firm, "Not without you."

Angel looked at him with tears coursing down her cheeks at what she would have to do, "I'm sorry," she whispered, before she held out a hand, turning it away from the Beast...to _him_.

The next thing he knew he was blasted back, right into the open doors of the TARDIS which slammed shut as he hit the ground, the box beginning to dematerialize on its own. He ran to the doors, trying to open them but they were sealed. He looked through the window to see her face the Beast, the golden energy brightening as it cocooned the monster, swirling around it, seeping into it, light starting to shine from within it.

~8~

"It's the planet!" Rose cried, looking out the window, "The planet's moving. It's falling," she turned in her seat, to Toby, reeling back when she saw him glaring at her, eyes red, the symbols all over his skin.

"I am the rage!" he growled, the voice of the Beast speaking through him.

"It's Toby! Zach, do something…"

"And the Bile and the Ferocity."

"Just do something!"

"I am the Prince and the Fall and the Darkness…"

"It's him!" Danny scrambled back, "It's him! It's him!"

"Stay where you are, the ship's not stable!" Zach yelled, when Toby breathed fire from his mouth, "What is he?! What the HELL is he?!"

Rose looked away as a light started to glow in front of Toby. She squinted as it brightened, pulsing, growing larger, more...human shaped...

"I shall never die!" Toby shouted, squirming back, as though _frightened_ of the growing light, "The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust…"

Rose gasped as Angel appeared in the light, swirling in the energy of the Vortex.

"Nothing shall ever destroy me!" Toby glared at Angel, " _Nothing_!"

"Nothing except the light," Angel replied calmly, her voice echoing, "You are the Devil but _I_ am the Angel," she reached out to him, Toby trying to get back, but was unable to as he was strapped into the seat still, allowing her the chance to touch his heart, "You are the Darkness and I am the Light. The Creator of Light."

Rose watched, wide eyed, as the black dissolved completely off of Toby, the boy passing out in shock. They watched the blackness rise into the air, condensing in on itself into a small ball before floating over to Angel's outstretched hand, she clenched it in her fist, her hand glowing so brightly it blinded them for a moment. Rose blinked, looking up at Angel in awe.

Angel just smiled at her sadly, "I'm sorry," she breathed, before snapping her fingers.

Rose blinked again, looking around in shock to find herself back in the TARDIS, Zach, Toby, Danny, even Scooti and Jefferson all there as well.

"What?!" the Doctor shouted. They looked over to see him standing at the controls, trying to get the TARDIS to go back to the planet, though the box seemed to be fighting him on it, with Ida passed out on the captain's chair, staring at them.

"Doctor?" she breathed.

The Doctor looked at them, before running over, "Where's Angel? Is she with you?"

Rose shook her head, "I dunno…she was there and then…"

"The black hole must close," Angel's voice echoed around the room.

The Doctor looked up at the sound before he ran over to the console, picking up a communicator, "Angel get out of there!"

"The black hole is the dark heart of the Beast," she replied, her voice still echoing, "I have trapped its mind and body, I cannot allow its soul to expand."

The Doctor's eyes widened, realizing what she meant by that, as he ran to the doors, throwing them open in time to see a bright golden light blast out from a tiny speck near the hole, the ship. They all gathered around the door, watching in shock and horror and amazement as the light expanded _past_ the black hole, encompassing it… _shrinking_ it…till it finally blinked out.

"Angel…" the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, the Vortex was an incredible force, it _could_ close a black hole but...the amount of power needed to do so, especially in a flesh host…

"Where is she?" Rose asked, tears filling her eyes in alarm, knowing that light had been Angel, but...it had disappeared with the hole, "What happened?"

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light behind them. They spun around to see Angel appear by the console, collapsing to her knees beside the panel that held the Heart of the TARDIS, "Open," she begged, her voice echoing no longer but full of such fear and hurt, the energy was still surrounding her, but her eyes were no longer golden, "Please, _please_ open! I _don't_ want it! Please take it _back_!"

The TARDIS hummed softly as though responding to her, but the panel remained closed.

"I'm not ready," she shook her head, crying as she banged on the panel, nearly gasping for air, feeling the power burning through her, burning her out, " _Please_ …"

The Doctor ran forward, ready and willing to pull the Vortex from her as he had last time...only for a soft golden wall to swirl up around her _just_ as he reached her, blocking him out, "Angel!" he shouted, still able to see her through it, "Angel let me in!" he banged on it.

"She won't let me," Angel shook her head before putting a hand on the panel, "Please..." she bowed her head, shaking.

The TARDIS hummed, louder.

Angel winced, trembling as she nodded, "Alright…" she whispered, so low not even the Doctor could hear her, "Yes."

The Doctor's eyes widened as the panel popped open and the Vortex poured out of Angel, his gaze turning to horror as the girl collapsed to the floor, completely spent. The wall disappeared from around her as the panel snapped shut and he ran to her side, "Angel…" he whispered, pulling her into his arms, checking her vitals...if he _lost_ her...

"Doctor!" Rose gasped.

He looked up to see her pointing at Angel's hand. He looked down, his hearts freezing in terror to see the orange regeneration energy slowly expelling from her.

"No…" he blinked back tears, he'd _just_ begun the Mating process with her…and it was _extremely_ delicate, there hadn't been many, if _any_ , Matings interrupted by regeneration on Gallifrey. He honestly didn't know what that meant for the bond...and that terrified him...not as much though, as the realization that Angel... _this_ Angel...was dying.

Rose reached forward and pulled him back, seeing him too shocked to move, neither of them had been expecting this to happen. The energy became brighter, more violent, Angel's body arching as the energy flew out of her. Everyone looked back, unable to watch, till the light faded.

The Doctor stepped forward, kneeling beside her, taking her hand in his own. He looked down at her, her hair had darkened to a brilliant _red_ , quite a bit longer than it had been, falling to her lower back, having come out of its clip due to the force of the Vortex flowing around her. She was pale, almost as pale as she had been when they'd first found her at Van Statten's. She seemed just a few inches shorter too and slightly thinner. He reached out, brushing a lock of hair out of her face before scooping her up, into his arms, and walking, without a word of explanation, out of the room.

~8~

Ida sat back with her friends, sitting in between Scooti and the now completely cured Toby, whom the Doctor had assured the others the TARDIS would NOT have allowed within her walls if he still possessed even an iota of the Beast in him, while Zach and Jefferson piloted and Danny stood behind her, "I don't remember," she frowned as they recounted what had happened in the Doctor's ship to her. With all they had seen, they really _hadn't_ wanted to know what happened to Angel, just content that she was still alive and would be fine according to Rose.

"Zach?" the Doctor called through the comm., "We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home. And the next time you get curious about something...oh...what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The Human Race..."

"But Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?"

"I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good! Day I know everything? Might as well stop. Right, onwards, upwards. Ida, see you again, maybe!"

"I hope so."

"And thanks!" Rose shouted.

"Thank you," Zach called back, "And, tell Angel we said thanks as well, when she wakes up."

"Of course," the Doctor said quietly before clicking off the comm..

"This is the final report of sanctuary base 6," Zach called into the records, "Ood 1 Alpha 1, deceased with honors. Ood 1 Alpha 2, deceased with honors..."

~8~

Angel blinked quickly as she came around, to find herself lying on the bed of the TARDIS med-bay, "Hey," the Doctor's voice whispered. She looked over to see him and Rose sitting on either side of her, holding her hands.

"Hey," she smiled, her voice sounding just a tad lighter than she remembered it. She frowned, looking down at her hands and seeing that they weren't _hers_. She looked at the Doctor, confused, and he held out a small mirror to her. Her now chocolate brown eyes stared back at her, her red hair falling in waves. No freckles though. She pouted a bit, she'd always wanted freckles. She thought they were cute.

"Yeah…" the Doctor nodded, watching her with concern, "You regenerated…into a _ginger_. So _not_ fair."

"Oh…" was all she could say, before shaking her head and putting the mirror down, "How long was I here?"

"About 20 hours. You slept right through the cycle. Do you remember what happened?"

She nodded, "A bit of it, yeah."

Rose took her hand, squeezing it, "You saved me. Again."

"You saved them all," the Doctor corrected lightly as Angel started to recall more details.

"Well, I wasn't about to stop with just Scooti and Jefferson," Angel shrugged, "I _did_ promise no one else would die."

Rose blinked back a few tears, "What do you think it was?" she asked quietly, truly shaken by the events that had just happened, all of it finally hitting her now that she saw Angel awake and alright, "Really?"

"I think...we beat it," the Doctor turned to her, "That's good enough for me."

"It said you were going to die," Rose turned to Angel, "And you _did_...kind of...does that mean what it said was right? Am _I_ gonna die in battle?"

"It also said _it_ would win," Angel reminded her, "And it was _wrong_."

It truly was. She hadn't killed it. No. She...she couldn't bring herself to do that no matter what. But...she _had_ trapped it, locked it away where it couldn't hurt anyone anymore. She'd taken the Beast's mind and sent it back to it's body, paralyzed from the power of the Vortex. She'd waited till both of them and the planet had falling into the black hole and then closed it down, trapping the Beast's body, mind, and soul in the Void, the space between worlds, where the black hole had gone upon being forced out of existance.

She missed Mickey very much at that moment, he would have asked what the Void was, the Doctor would have said all the different names for it, the Howling, the Void, Hell...and Mickey would have laughed at how she, an Angel, had sent the Devil back to Hell.

Good old Mickey.

The Doctor nodded, pulling her from her thoughts, "It lied."

Rose smiled at them, more reassured than before. She glanced at Angel, giving her a hug, before getting up and leaving her alone with the Doctor for a few moments, knowing they both needed a few moments of privacy to be with each other. Angel looked over to see the Doctor eyeing her closely, as though taking in her differences, she reached out and took his hand, "New New Angel," she whispered before lifting his hand, kissing his scarred knuckles, as she had done when he first told her he loved her.

He smiled at her for the familiar and touching action, one that reminded him that it was still his Angel, just a new version of her, before leaning forward and kissing her lightly.

"Oh," she pulled away.

"What?" he eyed her, concerned, and...a little worried at why she'd pulled away.

She just smiled, "New lips. Gotta get used to them."

He laughed, "I can help you there…" he leaned forward and kissed her again, shifting to sit beside her on the edge of the bed, kissing her deeply, the two of them just taking time to revel in the fact that they had survived, they were together, they were alive. The Doctor pulled away after a few moments, resting his forehead to hers as he closed his eyes, smiling, still feeling that thrill that ran through him each and every time he kissed her. Yup, it was Angel. And, staying like that a moment, he could feel their mental bond was still there, if a bit stronger as she had regenerated WITH the bond in place and not after having her brainwaves dampened. He could only guess what that might mean for their progress though, she might have been rubbing off on him, because he could swear he was sure things might be a bit easier for her in terms of connecting to his mind now. He couldn't wait to find out.

But not right now.

"Rest," he told her lightly, getting up, "You're still gonna be worn out for a couple more hours."

She could hear the underlying words. He was concerned and still a bit scared of what had happened, her using the Vortex, and wanted to make sure she would be alright, completely 100 percent fine and recovered before he even _thought_ about letting her up and about. He was afraid and, to be honest, so was she. She nodded, lying back on the bed as he walked out of the room as well.

A moment later, when she was _sure_ he'd gone, she looked down at her hand, watching as a hint of the golden Vortex energy swirled around it. She closed her fist, her hearts pinging with fear at the sight, willing it away as hard as she could, watching as it slowly disappeared.

She panted a little, breathing heavily from the effort, even shaking just a bit, before she looked away, tears in her eyes as she recalled the bargain she had made with the TARDIS and what that would mean.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam! Were you expecting another regeneration? Mid-Series? I hope not, means I'm doing my job at shocking you :) This is where we will see the start of Angel's promised powers developing along with her natural/TARDIS strengthened abilities. I do promise though, just as with her abilities, her powers will be a progression. She won't suddenly be all-powerful, there are limits both in terms of using the Vortex and her own willingness to do so and there will be consequences if she tries to move to fast. And that's all I'm saying about that :) 
> 
> As for what she called herself, 'The Creator of Light' well...we had Davros call the Doctor the Destroyer of Worlds and I really want to portray Angel as a balance to the Doctor, the light to his dark, the reassurance to his guilt, the creator to his destroyer. We'll see that play out more in The Runaway Bride :)
> 
> Ginger! Lol, I did promise a ginger Time Lady didn't I? And I HAD to have her pop up especially with 10 :) Can you imagine the ginger-envy? ;) I picture her as looking something like Elena Satine. 
> 
> And...now that we do have a new Angel, we need a new theme song don't we? :) If it's alright, I'm going to hold off on that till Series 3 also, that way we have a little time to absorb (lol, see what I did there given the next episode :)) who this new Angel is before we stick a theme to her :)


	34. Love and Monsters: LINDA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, quick note, I usually do ~8~ as a scene break, but for these three chapters I'm also going to use ~0~ as a scene break but for when the Doctor/Angel/Rose scenes appear just to not confuse you. The first chapter will focus on the Doctor/Angel/Rose involvement with the Elemental Shade, the next on the creature in the warehouse (with some fluff in between), and finish with a final scene in the last chapter about the end of the Shade. Though there's probably mentions of both the Doctor and Angel in quite a few of Elton's scenes too. Which reminds me, anything in italics will be Elton's voiceover/him in front of the camera in his room :) Enjoy!

A blonde man stood in front of a disused building site, spotting a faint familiar shape in the distance and took off after it. He stopped at the top of a hill, panting as he came across a series of deserted but identical outbuildings in a very run down area. A blue police box was parked right in the middle, looking very out of place and unusual. He stopped, staring at it, and slowly walked towards it. He reached out to place a hand on it, when he heard a voice...

"Angel!" a young woman called in the distance, "Doctor, the trap!"

He turned, running towards the source of the shouting and into one of the buildings, a warehouse. He looked up, hearing shouts and scuffling sounds emanating.

"Where's he gone?" a man yelled, "Can you see him?"

"There he is! Stop, no! Watch out! There!"

"Where?"

"There!" another woman called, "Over there!"

He ran up a set of stairs, slowly approaching a door at the end of a long corridor with many doors along the side of it at the sounds of banging and growling at the end. There was a bright light shining through the bottom of the door. He walked up to it cautiously and swung it open.

A ferocious looking monster snarled at him and roared.

~8~

_"That's what it did," the same blonde man said as he sat in front of his computer, recording his retelling of his adventure, "It went RRROOOOAAAAAAAAARRR! And if you think that was the most exciting day of my life, wait 'til you hear the rest. Oh boy..." he smiled, "So there I was, with that thing going RAAAAH!"_

~8~

The monster slowly approached him, snarling, when a woman stepped behind it. She was a tall woman with long red hair in a plait draped over her shoulder and warm chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a long sleeved, white knit, off-the-shoulder sweater that folded at the top, stopping just above her bust and went just below her hips. She had on a pair of dark blue jeans, similar in color to the phone box outside. But what _really_ caught his attention was the fact that she was holding a large pork chop in her hand, dangling it just out of the monster's reach, "Here, boy!" she called, "Come and have a treat! Over here…"

The monster turned back to her as a man appeared past the woman's shoulder, a very familiar man in a brown suit and long brown jacket, "Get out of here, quickly!" he shouted as the woman continued to try and bait the monster, "I said, run!"

He backed away as a blonde woman ran past him with a loud cry, splashing the liquid of a blue bucket all over the monster.

"Wrong one! You made it _worse_!"

"You said blue!" the woman shouted.

"I said 'not blue!'"

"I told you to just say red!" the ginger cut in, when she noticed the monster glaring at the blonde woman and nudged the man.

"Oh…hold on!" he quickly slammed the door shut as the blonde ran off, followed by the monster.

He watched, stunned, as the monster chased all three people in a very Scooby Doo-like manner, in and out of the doors. The blonde woman ran out of a room with a _red_ bucket this time, chasing the monster now, as the ginger and the man followed her.

The man stopped suddenly and turned back to him, peering closely, "Hold on...don't I know you?"

He just turned and ran out of the building, pressing himself against a wall outside, when he heard a wheezing noise. He sighed, defeated, knowing he had missed his chance.

~8~

_"You can't imagine it," he began, looking at the camera, "The Doctor's machine, the most beautiful sound in the world. Yet that wasn't the first time I met the Doctor, and it certainly wasn't the last, oh no. I just put that bit at the beginning because it's a brilliant opening. But...er...this is the story of me, and my encounters with alien life forms. But be warned, because it is gonna get scarrrrry," he leaned closer to the camera for dramatic effect, "I…I need a remote control zoom, I'm having to do that with the lean, the scarrrrry. But look, don't worry, 'cos it's not just me sitting here talking, oh no."_

~8~

He stood on an ordinary street, talking to the camera, "That's Ursula on camera."

"Hello!" Ursula waved a gloved hand at the camera.

"My good friend, Ursula Blake, and my brand new camera," he smiled. The camera moved in to look at a beige colored, terraced house in the middle of the street, before turning back to him, "That was my family home, down there," he leaned in, whispering, "I did try, but there's two women live there now and they're a bit...severe," he winced, "So...never mind. But that, is where it all started. That's when I first met the Doctor. What was it...er...I must have been three or four years old. Middle of the night, went downstairs, and there was this, man and woman…" he paused, thinking back to when he'd woken late at night and crept down the stairs into the sitting room to see the man in the brown suit, the Doctor, standing there, looking at him, sorrowful, with the ginger woman standing beside him, his arm around her waist.

"So what happened?" Ursula asked, seeing him drift off, "Elton, tell me. Why were they there?"

"I don't know. I…I still don't know. All those years ago..." he paused a moment in thought before waving his hands at the camera, cutting off.

~0~

Angel and the Doctor raced around the console as Rose clung to the railing, trying to keep her balance, a small alarm was going off on the monitor, a blinking red light that Rose knew couldn't mean something good was coming.

"What is it?" she shouted, watching the new Angel man the controls, reaching for things out of the Doctor's grasp, the two sharing a smile.

"The TARDIS has picked up a hostile blip," Angel told her.

"A hostile… _blip_?"

The Doctor nodded, stepping around Angel though his arm lingered around her waist, moving with him as he passed her, making her squirm. It seemed this new Angel's ribs were ticklish…a fact he _loved_ exploiting because it made her smile and laugh and try to grab his hands, which always gave him just enough leverage to pull her closer to kiss her.

He loved kissing her too.

That and touching her hair. It was so long he just loved playing with it. He hadn't got much of a chance to do that with her previous incarnation, who always had her hair clipped back most of the time, but this one well…it still wasn't hanging _freely_ , but in more of a loose _plait_ …but still, he loved tugging on it softly, curling it around his finger. It was…such a lovely shade of red, she made a beautiful ginger.

It still wasn't fair though.

"The TARDIS picked up technology that doesn't belong on Earth and comes from a typically hostile species," the Doctor explained, pulling a lever, sending them flying off into the Vortex.

"What species?"

"No idea!" the Doctor cheered, "Cloaking device on the technology just after it touched down."

"Too slow for the TARDIS not to pick it up though," Angel smiled up at the rotor, patting it, "You're too quick for them aren't you girl?"

Rose laughed as the TARDIS hummed in content and, what Rose assumed was, pride.

Angel nodded, turning the monitor to show Rose the scan the TARDIS had run, the location of the blip, "See," she pointed, "The TARDIS managed to locate the last known area of the blip and we set a course for it. Should be there…" she reached back and, without looking, slapped the Doctor's hand away from a knob, pushing a button instead, making him pout and Rose laugh and the TARDIS thump, "Now!"

"Brilliant," the Doctor cheered and wrapped his arms around Angel from behind, spinning her around, making her squeal and laugh.

He'd noticed her intuition had been much sharper than before. Not exactly 'feelings' like a sense of the future but just...more of what was happening in the present. She would answer the phone when it rang a split second after it rang having already been reaching for it, she knew when he was about to hit a button that would explode the TARDIS, she turned the kettle off right when it whistled. And if this was her at the START of this incarnation, he could only imagine what she'd be able to do and sense and feel ages later…and it WOULD be _ages_ later, he'd make sure of it.

She'd only had a year in her body before she'd burned it out using the Vortex only days ago. He would make sure she had MUCH longer in this body. He _swore_ to himself she would. He'd protect her. He'd do a better job. Be a better Mate. Help…

His thoughts were cut off when he felt someone press their lips against his.

Angel.

He smiled, reaching out to cup her face and hold her closer when she'd _just_ started to pull away again. They hadn't really had an adventure recently, him having wanted to make sure that she was _completely_ ready before they headed out. But he could tell she was eager for this adventure, she wanted to find herself, see what sort of woman she was now.

He and Rose already had an idea though. This Angel…was so different than her last one, but still…she had similarities to her that made them realize she was still the same girl deep down. She was still the most compassionate, kind woman he'd ever met. She still had a bit of a sweet tooth, though now she seemed to prefer cupcakes to cookies. He'd made her a batch of different flavors just for fun, for her to see which flavors she liked.

Red Velvet.

Which suited her.

The ginger of the cupcake world.

She was different in some regards though. All her time around Rose and Mickey had seemed to have an impact on her. She understood humans much more than she had. She got their expressions and rhetorical devices and jokes now. There were still little things about them that confused her, little things though. But for the most part, she knew what to say and not to say…though she retained her blunt honesty it seemed. She didn't like lying just as much as the last her hadn't.

And she blushed the loveliest shade of red, he'd noticed, when they pulled away from the kiss, both a bit breathless.

One thing was certain, Angel had most certainly gotten used to her new new lips and he'd had a wonderful time helping her.

"So what are we waiting for?!" Rose cheered, beaming at them.

She'd been…worried…about Angel when she regenerated. She'd been afraid she herself wouldn't be able to handle it, much like when the Doctor had regenerated. But Angel had seemed to sense that because, as soon as she was up and about Angel had gone up to her, smiled, and held out her hand saying 'New new Angel, _nice to meet you_.' She'd smiled and laughed, hugging the woman instead, before Angel pulled her to the wardrobe for some girl-bonding as she got her to help pick out her current outfit, which she had to admit suited Angel more than her last incarnation's clothes. That gesture, Angel still coming to her for help in some areas, reassured her, it was STILL Angel. A little more eager and understanding an Angel, but still the kind, thoughtful, psychic woman she'd always been. Though, she secretly suspected, that having travelled with Captain Jack might have had an effect on Angel a bit. She was slightly…flirty…when it came to the Doctor. Well, actually it was more how aware she was of what she said and did around the Doctor really. Before, she'd noticed Angel would compliment him in a way where she almost didn't seem to realize she had, like when she'd remarked about 'the great looking ones disappearing in TARDISes' but not now. NOW she seemed to _know_ what she was saying and what it meant. The Doctor though, seemed to enjoy the new attention and affection, which made her smile to watch, those two really were endlessly sweet.

"She's right!" Angel beamed, "Let's go!"

The Doctor laughed and took her hand, pulling her towards the doors with Rose running after them, stepping out to a row of houses, the TARDIS across the street from a beige one.

~0~

_"Ok, first things first," Elton sat in his room again, "My name is Elton. Er...not to be confused with…" an image of Elton John performing cut in, "I left school, got a job, Transport Manager, Rated Logistics, modest little haulage company, perfectly normal life, and then...it all went mad."_

~8~

Elton walked through a busy London street, carrying shopping bags.

~8~

_"Two years ago, I was in town, I was stocking up. You know, nothing special, all the usual stuff, when all of a sudden..."_

~8~

As he walked past a shop, a window dummy inside it raised its arm and hit the glass, shattering it. He stopped in shock, looking around as the other dummies came to life, marching out of the windows, causing chaos.

~8~

_"Shop window dummies! Come to life!"_

~8~

The dummies marched through the street, shooting people and telephone wires with jets of red light, creating electrical fires. They smashed up cars and attacked people in all directions. Elton ran off, nearly getting hit by a car as he fled.

~8~

_"I survived...obviously..."_

~8~

He walked down an ordinary street one day, when something caught his eye.

~8~

_"Twelve months later, I'm back in town. I'm up west, looking for a new suit, something nice and smart, when I hear this plane overhead."_

~8~

There was a loud hum and everyone stopped to look over as a large alien spaceship struck Big Ben, ripping it apart, everyone staring in horror.

~8~

_"But it wasn't over yet, 'cos then...Christmas Day..."_

~8~

Elton was sleeping in his bed on Christmas morning…

~8~

_"I'm in bed fast asleep, nice and cozy, quarter to eight in the morning, when all of a sudden…"_

~8~

The window shattered inwards as his eyes snapped open.

~8~

 _"SMASH! And I was stuck in bed, right, 'cos there was glass everywhere! And I was_ barefoot _! I had to invent a rudimentary pulley system just to reach my boots! And by the time I'd done that..."_

~8~

Elton looked around at the glass everywhere as he made his way to his window, looking out at the spaceship hovering over London.

~8~

_"And that's when it all started happening. That's how I met Ursula…that's how I met Victor Kennedy…that's how I met Jackie Tyler…and that's how I finally met the Doctor and that ginger woman, the Angel…and realized the truth."_

~0~

The Doctor pushed the doorbell of a quaint beige house in the middle of the street. They'd been looking into the families up and down the block all day to see if anything odd had happened, but no such luck. This though…this was the last house.

Just as the door opened, Angel shivered.

' _What is it?_ ' the Doctor asked her.

Their mental bond was doing VERY well ever since she'd regenerated. Almost like it had gotten a boost. It was odd. He'd assumed it would be severed, or weakened at the very least, when she regenerated in the middle of the process. But it had gotten _stronger_! He thought, perhaps, it might have something to do with the dampener not being the last thing she'd had before regenerating. This time she'd done so with her mind free and already growing stronger. Actually it was almost like the floodgates opened, it was actually _hard_ to BLOCK the thoughts now. They pretty much heard everything the other thought at every moment. The purpose of the mental connection was to drop their natural mental barriers and let their Mate in, now that they were connected, they had to erect the barriers again but _around_ the connection instead.

' _This is the house,_ ' she murmured to him.

He reached out and took her hand, his thumb running along her knuckles to calm her. He wasn't happy with this now…the thought that something beyond the door could be _dangerous_...but Angel squeezed his hand.

' _We'll be fine,_ ' she reassured him, offering him a smile. A bit pleased that she'd been able to offer _that_ and not some odd remark that came out of nowhere. She wasn't sure what it meant for her sensations, if it was just because she was still settling into her new body or if her feelings had just progressed a bit more. To be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

He smiled back. Her sensations had gotten stronger too it seemed, but…there was something about it, almost like she wasn't happy with that. He remembered her earlier concerns though, about her feelings getting too strong for her to control. But this new her was equally stronger as well so he did his best to reassure her.

"Hello," a lovely blonde woman opened the door, a small apron around her waist.

"Hi!" they cheered.

The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper, holding it up, reading it, "Dr. John Smith, editor of the... _Traveler's Companion Guidebook_ ," he made up as he went, wrapping an arm around Angel's waist, "My wife, Angela," and then nodded at Rose, "And my assistant Rose."

Rose smiled though it was small. Angel was a _ginger_ now, not a _blonde_ , that was something she missed. People often used to mistake them for sisters and, while she knew Angel still considered her to be that, it was harder to get others to believe the same.

"How can I help you?" the woman smiled, wiping her hands off on her apron.

"We're writing a small editorial," the Doctor continued, "Travel guidebook, this town is so quaint it's perfect for our segment on local treasures."

"Could you spare a few minutes to answer some questions?" Angel asked.

The woman beamed, "Of course! This town is _so_ lovely, it's about time other people recognized it. Come in, come in," she gestured them into her home, leading them to the sitting room, "Oh, I'm sorry for the mess," she quickly scooped up a small teddy bear that had been lying on the ground with a few other toys, moving to sit on a sofa chair across from them on the sofa, smiling as she saw the Doctor's arm move around his 'wife's' shoulders, the ginger woman leaning on him, "My son, Elton."

"It's no problem at all," Angel reassured her, "My nephew was much the same."

The woman nodded, "So, how can I help?"

Rose pulled out a small notepad that she'd been using in her role as the 'assistant' jotting down notes and questions to ask. The few minutes flew by, the questions being answered with enthusiasm…but Angel though…was distracted.

The Doctor watched her out of the corner of his eye as she kept glancing around, ' _What is it?_ '

' _I keep seeing something out of the corner of my eye,_ ' she remarked, ' _But it's gone before I can spot it!_ '

He nodded, trying to focus on what the woman, Mrs. Pope they'd learned, was saying but then he felt Angel stiffen, ' _There!_ ' she called.

He followed her gaze to see a shadow zoom across the wall behind Mrs. Pope, all on its own. He froze, his hearts racing, his mind immediately going to the _worst_ possible shadow-like alien…the Vashta Nerada…and his _Mate_ was right there!

He was just about to leap to his feet and pull her out of the room when Angel squeezed his hand, ' _It's not them,_ ' she told him, hearing his thoughts shifting in his mind as though they had been in her mind as well.

He looked at her, eyeing her intently as she nodded, he turned, eyeing the shadow as it continued to move around, thinking itself unobserved, and realized she was right, it couldn't be. It was moving through the sunlight _easily_ , Vashta Nerada would have slowed at least.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mrs. Pope," Angel cut in, knowing they needed to be quick and they needed to be alone to do it, "But, could I trouble you for some tea?"

"Oh of course!" the woman stood, "How rude of me. Yes of course."

She turned and headed through a door to the kitchen as Rose looked at them, "Go after her," the Doctor told her, "Keep an eye out."

Rose's eyes widened, realizing this must be the house, that the woman was in danger, and rushed after her, asking if she needed help.

The Doctor jumped to his feet, whipping out the sonic as he aimed it at the shadow, freezing it in place for a moment as he drew nearer, scanning it as it twisted, trying to escape the sonic's hold. It only lasted a few more moments before it whizzed off and up the wall, hiding upstairs…Mrs. Pope returning to tell them the kettle was on preventing them from rushing after it, the Doctor sliding the sonic back into his pocket.

"Oh, sorry," the Doctor turned to the woman, on edge, the sonic hadn't managed to get a good enough read on the creature, they'd need the TARDIS to help scan it, "But I've just noticed the time, best be off, have a deadline, bye!"

He grabbed Angel's hand and pulled her out the door as she called back, "It was nice to meet you!" over her shoulder, Rose rushing after them.

~0~

 _Elton sniffed, seeming to have just woken up early in the morning, "Um, I should say, this isn't my_ whole _life. It's not all...spaceships and stuff, 'cos I'm into all sorts of things. Er...I like football...I like a drink...I like Spain, and if there's one thing I really love, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra, 'cos you can't beat a bit of ELO."_

~8~

Elton danced around his room to 'Mr. Blue Sky.'

~8~

_"So, great big spaceship hanging over London. Imagine the theories."_

~8~

He sat in front of his computer, typing away, when the computer suddenly sparked and smoke flew out of it. The monitor exploded, causing him to jump back.

~8~

_"The Internet was on meltdown. But I kept on digging. Something was going on, oh yes."_

~8~

He opened up a blog on the web, 'My Invasion Blog,' with a photo of the Doctor, in his brown suit, his arm around the waist of a woman with blonde hair clipped back, in a lacy, dark blue duster as they looked back at something.

~8~

 _"And then one day, on some obscure little blog by someone called Ursula Blake, it was like a chance in a million. It was him, it was that man again, his arm around some woman. But the photo was new, it was taken on Christmas Day but Christmas just gone. And he looked_ exactly _the same."_

~8~

Elton sat on a park bench beside a woman with long brunette hair and glasses, Ursula, both talking about the Doctor and the mysterious woman, "His name is the Doctor," she replied, "And hers is the Angel."

"Doctor what?" he shook his head.

"That's all anyone knows. On Christmas Day I was taking photos all over the place. I went mad with it all, spaceships and lasers and everything. We all went to Trafalgar Square that night, 'cos everyone was celebrating, just being alive. And I snapped them in passing, that's all. He was just some bloke with a girl. I didn't realize they were significant, until Mr. Skinner pointed it out."

"Who's Mr. Skinner?"

"Oh, there's a few of us," she smirked, "The Inner Sanctum, all studying this Doctor and Angel."

"I've seen them," he murmured, sliding closer to her, "The Doctor at least. I swear to you, I saw him when I was a kid. He was in my house, and he was downstairs."

"Don't tell me, he looked _exactly_ the same then as he does now. And so did she?"

"Yes, yes! Well, _he_ was there, it was a woman with red hair that was with him that time. But, oh my God. You _believe_ me!"

Ursula smiled, "You're not the only one, you know..."

~8~

_"So that's how I met Ursula, all thanks to the Doctor and Angel. Turns out we read all the same sites and she only lived half a mile away. She was like a proper mate. But like she said, there was this little community, the select few, all with their stories of the Doctor and a few about Angel."_

~8~

A group of five sat around a table in some sort of basement, talking and laughing.

~8~

_"This little gang used to meet up, underneath the old library on Macateer Street. Mr. Skinner, first name Colin, but we always called him Mr. Skinner. I don't know why, we...just did."_

~8~

Mr. Skinner showed off a presentation on a paperboard, with different characters all sketched around it, "To me, the Doctor isn't a man, he's more a collection of archetypes...and the Angel, well, clearly she is meant to represent her namesake..."

~8~

_"Then there was Bridget."_

~8~

Bridget, an older woman with black hair, set off a slide projector, "All these different Doctors come and go, but the single constant factor is this faux police box. It keeps cropping up, throughout history..."

~8~

_"She lived way up North, but she travelled down without fail, just for the meetings. Then, there was Bliss. She was ever so sweet, bless. Bless Bliss, we used to say."_

~8~

A young black woman uncovered a modern art piece, blue and white sort of squiggles, "What I'm trying to do is sum up the Doctor," she gestured to the blue, "And Angel," then the white, "What they mean to us," Bliss explained, "What they could represent and what they should represent. And what they...never won't represent...sort of thing."

~8~

They all sat around a table, "We should have a name," Ursula stated, "You know, as a group."

"Names are very important," Bliss nodded.

"What we need is a good, strong name, like a team," Elton added, "Something like...London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency, LINDA for short."

"Say it again," Mr. Skinner shook his head.

"London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency."

"'N?'"

"Fish 'n' Chips," he smiled, "Rock 'n' Roll...Chaka Demus 'n' Pliers!"

Everyone laughed, nodding.

"Oh, I like it, it's not too solemn," Bridget grinned.

"I like the 'n,'" Bliss nodded.

"We're the men from LINDA!" Mr. Skinner cheered.

"And the women!" Bridget added.

"LINDA United!"

"Did you think of that on the spot?" Ursula leaned over to Elton.

He gave a sheepish smile, "No, I've been wanting to use it for _years_."

"I give you...LINDA!" Mr. Skinner raised his glass in a toast.

"LINDA!" they all cheered.

~8~

_"So we'd all meet up, every week, and we'd talk about the Doctor and Angel for a bit. But after a while...Bridget started cooking."_

~8~

Bridget laid out Tupperware containers full of food, serving them around, "Oh my God, that's gorgeous!" Ursula complimented, "No really, wow! Oi, the rest of you, get your hands off!"

~8~

_"The next thing you know, Mr. Skinner started his readings, 'cos he was writing his own novel."_

~8~

Everyone sat on the edge of their chairs, listening to Mr. Skinner read aloud from a pile of papers, "'That's the last time you ride the ghost train, Johnny Fransetta...now say your prayers!' To be continued..."

Everyone groaned.

"You _can't_ leave it there!" Bliss exclaimed.

~8~

_"As time went on, we got to know each other better and better."_

~8~

Bridget sat, talking to everyone, tears in her eyes, "I started all of this because...er...my daughter disappeared. It wasn't aliens that took her away, it was just...drugs. I come down to London, every week, and I just keep looking for her."

Ursula moved over to comfort her as she started to cry, "Bridget..."

~8~

Bliss sat before them, playing a guitar and singing, "I gave my love a chicken, it had no bone, I gave my love a cherry, it had no stone..." and then Ursula joined in, beating the tambourine, both singing cheerfully.

~8~

_"Then it turned out that Bridget could play the piano, and I confessed my love of ELO. Next thing you know...Musical LINDA."_

~8~

The group stood around, playing music, Bridget on piano, Mr. Skinner on drums, Bliss on guitar, and Ursula on bass with Elton in the middle as the singer, "You got me running, goin' outta my mind..." he sang, "You got me thinking that I'm wasting my time. Don't bring me down."

~8~

_"Just for fun."_

~8~

"Don't bring me down!" he sang, twirling around as they continued to perform, when suddenly the electricity cut out and the basement went dark.

"Careful, mind the cables," Mr. Skinner remarked, getting up.

The basement's outer door opened with a banging noise and a black silhouette illuminated in the inner doors. There was a creaking as the gate of the lift was opened and the shadow stepped through.

~8~

_"And that's when it all changed, that Tuesday night in March. That's when HE arrived."_

~8~

"Lights!" a well dressed man with gray hair and a beard called, the lights switching on.

~8~

_"That's when we met Victor Kennedy. The golden age...was gone."_

~8~

Victor Kennedy looked at them all as they stared back, bewildered, "So, we meet at last...'LINDA,'" he sneered, putting down his briefcase and holding his silver fisted cane in his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Mr. Skinner extended a hand, "I'm sorry, was the music too loud?"

"No, no, no, no," he backed away quickly, "I don't shake hands, back, _back_. I suffer from a skin complaint, Ec _zee_ ma."

"Oh, you mean 'eczema?'" Elton asked.

"Oh, this is worse, much worse, I blister to the touch. Back, back, all of you, further, further. Thank you," they stepped back.

"Sorry, don't mind me asking, but who _are_ you?"

" _I_ am your salvation."

~0~

Dawn had just started, the sun peeking into the sky, when Rose, the Doctor, and Angel stepped out of Mrs. Pope's home. The Doctor had his arm firmly around Angel's waist as they moved, the girl resting her head on his shoulder, frowning, so sad for the little boy inside the house. She couldn't help but feel like it was all her fault, what happened, like she'd failed to protect the boy.

The Doctor squeezed her around the waist as they walked towards the TARDIS, silent. He had to talk to her about what she was feeling, but that was something that needed _words_ not _thoughts_ and he wanted it to be private despite the fact Rose had been there and seen it all happen.

"Come on," he unlocked the TARDIS, opening the door for them, Rose stepped in, though Angel paused, looking over her shoulder at something before stepping in as well, "I think…we all earned a good night's rest eh?" he looked at the girls, "I'll go put the TARDIS to the Vortex, you lot head off to bed."

Rose nodded, yawning, the adrenaline of the adventure fading off as she made her way up the gantry to the halls.

"Go on," the Doctor nudged Angel on as he moved to the console, "I'll be there soon."

She hesitated but did as he asked. She paused in the hall by the bedrooms, glancing at her old door, a light wooden one with golden Gallifreyan symbols on it, Angel, in Gallifreyan. Even with the species nearly gone, she didn't feel right putting her _name_ where others could see it. She smiled softly, walking over and lightly traced the symbols with her finger, "You can delete this room if you'd like," she called to the TARDIS, "Everything in it was put in the Doctor's anyway. I've no more need for it," her smile widened just a bit, "I don't think I'll need it again."

There was a small hum, almost a sad one, as though the TARDIS was sad to see the room one of her pilots had lived in go even though it hadn't been lived in for quite some time now, but the door slowly faded into the wall.

"Thank you," she murmured, letting out a breath as she made her way into the Doctor's room, well… _their_ room…now. She stepped in, it was a tasteful, almost…Victorian…themed room. A large window, with curtains, an old desk to the side, a wardrobe, a door to the bath, and a large four poster bed with dark blue sheets. She walked over to it and just laid down, rolling onto her side to look out the window, at the stars beyond, false stars, but not _really_. She knew they were _in_ the Vortex and that the TARDIS was showing her the stars _outside_ it. The Doctor always let them drift through the Vortex when they weren't in the console room, it was safer, he claimed, than drifting out in space as not many others could access the Time Vortex.

That was new.

Safe.

The DOCTOR wanting to be SAFE.

When she'd laughed a bit at that, oh, what felt like ages ago, he'd just looked at her intensely and said he always wanted her to be safe, especially in her sleep. Her breath had caught in her throat at that, she'd lost her breath when he'd kissed her as well.

She smiled in thought of that, but it faded as she remembered what had happened.

"Don't do that Nella," the Doctor murmured as she felt the bed dip and his arms wrap around her, "You know I hate it when you frown," he told her.

She rolled over in his arms, moving to rest her head on his chest, "I can't help it," she sighed, "I feel like…"

"Like it was your fault," he cut in, having heard everything in his mind, "But it _wasn't_. There wasn't anything we could do. It blocked us out of the house and _that_ was what made us late."

"Still," she murmured, "I should have _sensed_ what it was going to do and we could have gotten in before then."

"And then what?" he asked, "The Elemental Shade would have attacked us as well, it could have attacked _you_ ," his arms tightened around her, "I don't ever want you to be harmed."

"I don't want others to be harmed either."

"Nor do I, but Nella…if it hadn't been for your feelings, that Shade would have attacked the boy as well…and spread. That whole street, that whole town, could have fallen to it if we hadn't stopped it when we did."

"I know," she nodded, curling her hand in his shirt, holding him, "I just…don't like losing people."

He smiled, recalling when he'd said much the same when they'd first started travelling together, "Me either but you were right," he turned his head, dropping a kiss onto the top of hers, "Together we've been able to save so many more people than apart," she had to smile at that, thinking of those people as well, "We lost one," he nodded, "But that will just make us just try harder won't it?" he squeezed her, rubbing her shoulders, "Your feelings are getting stronger Nella, that's true, but it'll take time."

She frowned even as she nodded, torn. She wanted to be stronger, to help more people but…at the same time…she _didn't_ want her abilities to strengthen, she didn't want to lose control of herself to them.

"But I'll always be here Nella," the Doctor finished, looking down at her till she looked up at him, "I'll ALWAYS be here for you."

She smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly, her Mate was so amazing.

~0~

LINDA gathered around Mr. Kennedy's laptop as he showed them footage of the Doctor, the ginger girl, and a blonde heading towards the blue box what seemed like a couple decades ago the footage was that worn.

"That's the Doctor!" Ursula gasped.

"It's really him!" Elton's eyes widened.

"You've forgotten your purpose in life," Kennedy reminded them, "You, with your band...and your cakes...and your blubbing and all the while they still exist, the Doctor and the Angel."

"But the Angel isn't there," Mr. Skinner remarked.

"Of course she is," Kennedy glared, freezing it at the ginger looking back, straight at the camera before stepping into the blue box, "She's right _here_."

"But I thought she was a blonde," Bliss said, confused.

"You've speculated that the Doctor can change his face yes?" he looked up at them, they nodded.

"You mean… _that's_ the Angel?" Bridget breathed, looking at the ginger with wide eyes, "Just look at her!" they moved closer.

"Move back, move back, all of you!" Kennedy snapped, "Oh, wait for this, the picture cuts out, but the sound still continues," he pressed a few keys and the picture resumed, "Listen. Listen to the sound of the Universe...yes..."

The wheezing of the engines played through the room.

Elton fell back onto a chair, stunned, recognizing the sound, as he put his head in his hands.

"What is it?" Ursula looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"Leave him!" Kennedy stood, extending his cane and walking over to him, "You've heard it before, haven't you? _When_? When was it? _Where_? _Where were you_?"

"I'd forgotten, until now," he breathed, "But it was that night..."

"What night?"

"I was just a kid...that's why I went downstairs. It woke me up. That noise..." he thought back to when the wheezing had awoken him in the middle of the night, "But what is it? What does it mean?"

"That is a sound of his spaceship."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the new Angel was alright here. I'm trying to leave her a little vague as it's her first adventure with the Doctor and Rose after regenerating so she's not sure who she is yet and neither are we, but we'll discover it as she does :) We'll also learn more about why she's so iffy about her abilities, is it just a carryover from her last body? Or is it something the new her knows something about that the Doctor doesn't? Hmm...I guess we'll find out :)
> 
> As for Angel glowing and what she and the TARDIS negotiated...not saying :) Well, at least not about the negotiation, THAT will probably come around near the end of Series 4 without a complete explanation till we get to Idris. We'll never know what the TARDIS was thinking till she can speak for herself :) But as for the glowing...that will definitely be popping up throughout the saga with more and more about it being revealed as we go :)


	35. Love and Monsters: Infiltration

Kennedy pulled some files out of his briefcase, handing them around, "Right then, homework! Using the Torchwood files, we're able to look at all the old databases in a completely new light. We're able to build up a more detailed profile of the Doctor and the Angel. I've allocated tasks to each of you. I'd like you to…" he pulled back as Mr. Skinner nearly brushed his hand, "Careful! Watch the ec _zee_ ma! I'd like you to complete your targets and meet back here this time next week, one step closer to catching the Doctor and the Angel," he turned and sat behind the main desk, "Well don't just sit there, MOVE!" they jumped up and got ready to leave when he called out, "Er, Bliss? It _is_ Bliss, isn't it?"

"Yeah?" she smiled, looking up..

He grinned, "Could I have a word with you in private, please?"

"Course you can, yeah," she nodded.

"Thank you," he waved to the others, "Goodbye, goodbye."

The others turned and got onto the lift, taking it up to the streets, "Better get to work!" Elton remarked, "Lots to do."

"I never thought of it as work," Ursula replied, frowning just a bit.

"It's what we've always wanted, though. To find the Doctor and Angel."

"Yeah, I suppose," she shrugged, all of them walking off as Bliss screamed in the distance.

~8~

_"All of a sudden, without anyone saying so, we were working for Victor Kennedy. Though we had to admit, he was right. His methods were much more rigorous. It felt like we were getting closer and closer to the Doctor and Angel."_

~8~

Elton raised his hand in the air to get Kennedy's attention as they worked away at the desks that had been moved to the basement, him, Ursula, Mr. Skinner, and Bridget, "Mr. Kennedy?"

He looked up, "Yes?"

"We...we were wondering...no sign of Bliss. Do you know where she is?"

"Yes, didn't she tell you? She's getting married! She left a message. It'll never last. Stupid girl. Come on, back to work!" and they all got to work again.

~8~

 _"But we_ did _get lucky once."_

~8~

Ursula was working at Elton's desk when Mr. Skinner ran in with a piece of paper, "A police box! Newly arrived, it says newly arrived today! And it's in Woolwich!"

Kennedy grabbed the paper from him, "Well don't just stand there, move! Move, go, go!"

~0~

"Sarah Jane!" Angel beamed as the monitor blinked on, an incoming call from the woman.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor cheered, flicking a switch and turning on the monitor.

"Doctor!" Sarah Jane smiled as soon as she saw him, "Angel?" her eyes widened, guessing the ginger was Angel regenerated, "You regenerated?"

"Yeah," she blushed.

"Into a ginger!" the Doctor had to add with a pout, "I've never been ginger before, been trying for _ages_ , and _she_ gets it on basically her second go!"

Angel laughed and patted his shoulder, "Well you went on about it so much I thought, why not?" she smiled, before leaning over to kiss his cheek, "But I'm sure you'll be ginger one day."

His eyes widened as he looked at her, growing excited, "A feeling?"

"No."

His face fell comically.

"I just know you," she nudged him, "When you want something badly enough, eventually you get it, don't you?"

He smiled at her softly, "Oh yes," he agreed, before tilting her chin up with his finger and kissing her, neither of them noticing Sarah Jane grinning on the monitor.

Rose laughed, getting off the captain's chair to join them near the monitor, "Hello Sarah Jane," she waved. She'd developed a newfound respect for the woman after having actually gotten the Doctor to sit down and TELL her about Sarah Jane. The woman was _amazing_ and she felt _so_ badly for having treated her the way she had.

"Hi Rose," Sarah Jane waved.

"How are you?"

"Right!" the Doctor pulled away from Angel, his arm moving around her shoulders as he faced the monitor, "How are things?"

"Is anything the matter?" Angel asked, concerned.

"Oh everything's fine!" Sarah Jane smiled, "More than fine really, but Mr. Smith, that's my computer," she gestured at it, "Picked up Hoix sighting in Woolwich. I'd investigate myself but I'm a bit strapped for time right now," she looked at her watch, "I really _do_ want to check it out but..."

"It's fine Sarah," the Doctor cut in, "We just touched down in London actually..." he looked at Angel who shrugged, _she'd_ set the coordinates, but it was more for Rose to visit her mum than the feeling of an adventure coming, "We'll give it a look."

"Thanks!" Sarah Jane smiled, before she turned, hearing the front door shut, "Got to go!"

She waved and the feed cut off, "Right then," the Doctor turned to them, putting in the coordinates Sarah Jane had sent them, sending the TARDIS there, "We're gonna need some supplies for this one," he remarked, turning to lead them further into the TARDIS, heading for the kitchens.

"So what's a...Hoix, was it?" Rose asked.

Angel shrugged, "An alien. I think it eats a lot."

The Doctor smiled at that, Angel was much more involved in adventures, in helping him explain things, it seemed having helped tell Mickey what was going on all the time had carried over. She was more adept at explaining certain areas, though she was still out of her depth in other areas. Like science and maths and most alien species. But she was getting much better at explaining the situation at hand, the way the TARDIS worked, anything really to do with space and time and history she took more charge at. He'd found that, as much as she claimed she loved hearing him talk, he loved to hear her talk as well.

"A Hoix is a humanoid alien with brown skin and sharp teeth," the Doctor explained, "Mostly carnivorous. Very aggressive. Pretty strong..."

"And we're going to fight it off with...water?" Rose asked, eyeing the Doctor as he filled up a blue bucket.

"Water and vinegar!" he cheered, adding it to the mix, before pausing, "Or was it water and oil?" he sighed, moving to fill another one, a red one, with that mixture too, "Best have both to be safe. Now! We just need..."

He turned around to see Angel holding up a raw pork chop, smiling, "Bait?"

He beamed. That was another thing he'd noticed. She seemed to absorb a lot of what he was saying as he babbled. Like just now, he saw it in her mind, he'd mentioned carnivorous so she'd grabbed a piece of meat. Before she'd regenerated, she might have done the same, but not realized _why_. It seemed her drive to learn new things and meet new people had carried over as well.

"Exactly!" he cheered, taking her free hand and the red bucket before dashing off, "Rose! Grab the blue one!"

Rose did as she was told and followed them out, right outside, to a row of disused warehouses, "And a great big carnivorous alien is allergic to water, oil, and...vinegar?"

"The Slitheen are allergic to vinegar," the Doctor shrugged.

"And a werewolf in 1879 was allergic to mistletoe," Angel reminded her as they headed into one.

The Doctor put the bucket down by the door, "Best keep these here," he muttered, pulling out the sonic, "If it's here...it'll smell it if we get too close and react."

"Don't want that," Rose murmured, setting her bucket down.

The Doctor scanned around, before leading them further into the warehouse, through quite a few rooms when the sonic starting to beep quickly as it aimed up a flight of stairs, "Come on," he reached back and took Angel's hand, leading them up...only to hear growling coming from the door at the end of the hall. He glanced abck at her, "Ready?"

Angel held up the pork chop, nodding.

He nodded, "Right, Rose..." he looked at her, "Get the bucket."

"Which one?" she asked as they headed over to the door to distract the alien as she turned to go get the bucket.

"Not the blue one," he mumbled, before throwing open the door, the two of them dashing inside.

"What?" Rose called, but the door had already shut.

~0~

_"Don't get excited, that's where you came in. Woolwich. Police box. Red bucket, blue bucket. Police are stupid, etcetera…"_

~8~

Kennedy towered over Elton as he sat at his desk, "Useless!"

"I just...froze," Elton said.

"You _met_ them…and you _froze_? You _stupid_ man!" he raised his hand, about to smack him.

"You can't hit me! 'Cos you don't touch, you said so, you get a rash and an itch and…"

Kennedy just grabbed his cane, "I can use _this_!"

Ursula stood and stalked over to him, "Use that cane on _him_ and you'll get one _hell_ of a smack off _me_! And then a good _kick_! Is that completely understood, Mr. Kennedy?"

He eyed her a moment, "Duly noted. Ursula...Blake. Most likely to fight back," he stared a bit longer, "Right then! We'll change tack, we'll approach this sideways," Elton cast Ursula a grateful smile, "If we're to discover the truth about the Doctor and the Angel, then we need to try and find… _her_ ," he turned to a projection where a low quality digital photo of the blonde woman appeared, "Now when it comes to the Doctor's companion, the Torchwood files are strangely lacking," the photo changed to an image of her just outside Downing Street, "It seems the evidence has been corrupted, something called 'Bad Wolf' virus. At least we've got these photographs," he clicked a remote and the photo changed again, "They're first hand evidence. Elton?"

"It was a London accent," he affirmed, "Definitely. She's from London."

"So we hit the streets. We get out there, we take the photographs. Someone's got to know who she is somewhere."

"Yes, but London's a big place," Bridget countered, "I mean I should know, my own daughter's out there."

"Bridget, don't make this personal," Kennedy sneered, "I don't like to be touched literally OR metaphorically, thank you very much, I haven't got the time. Bleeding hearts outside! Find me that girl!" he handed them each a printed photo, "Go. Now, move!"

~8~

 _"So it began. The impossible task. To scour the mean streets, to search a major capital city for an unknown girl. To hunt down that face in a seething metropolis of lost souls. To find that_ one _girl in_ ten million _…"_

~8~

Elton held up a photo to an old woman on the street, "Oh, that's Rose Tyler. She lives just down there…" she pointed, "Bucknell House, number 48. Her mother's Jackie Tyler. Nice family. Bit odd..." she walked off, leaving Elton stunned but satisfied. He quickly ran through the streets in the direction the woman pointed.

~8~

_Elton danced around his room to ELO._

~8~

He dashed between two parked cars, stopping short when he heard a woman call out, "Oi, Jackie!"

He looked up to see a blonde woman with two plastic bags of clothes across the street.

"Hello sweetheart!" Jackie shouted as he lifted the photo to compare Rose to her, "I'll see you down the Spinning Wheel tonight, yeah? Pub quiz, get 'em in!"

"Alright then," the woman called, waving to her as Jackie turned and entered a laundry mat.

Elton quickly pulled off his jacket and his outer shirt, putting his jacket back on and gathering the shirt in his hands, heading to the laundry mat as well.

~8~

 _"I'd been_ trained _for this. Victor Kennedy's classes covered basic surveillance and espionage."_

~8~

Elton strode in, past Jackie as she sorted her wash, and over to a machine, putting his shirt in.

~8~

_"Step one: engage your target. Find some excuse to start a conversation. But how was I gonna do this? How?"_

~8~

"Excuse me love," Jackie called, "You couldn't give us a quid for two fifties, could you?"

He quickly dug in his pocket, "Yeah...just a...ah, ta da!" he pulled out the money and traded.

"Oh lovely!" she smiled in thanks, "Cheers!"

He nodded and turned back to his wash.

~8~

_"Step two: without provoking suspicion, get on first name terms with the target."_

~8~

"My name's Jackie," Jackie called, "By the way."

"I'm Elton," he introduced.

"Ah, you don't meet many Eltons, do you? Apart from the obvious!" they laughed.

~8~

_"Step three: ingratiate yourself with a joke or some humorous device."_

~8~

Jackie held up a black pair of panties in her hand as she turned to him, "I tell you what, Elton. Here we are, complete strangers, and I'm flashing you me knickers!"

He fumbled a bit for a reply to that and settled on just laughing.

~8~

_"Step four: find some subtle way to integrate yourself into the target's household."_

~8~

He turned to speak to her but Jackie was already talking, "Mind you, I'm only down here because my washing machine's knackered. I don't suppose you're any good at fixing things, are you?"

~8~

Elton was crouched behind the washing machine in Jackie's flat, changing the plug as she watched him, "Here we are," he held it up, "It was a fuse. There's nothing wrong with the machine. That's fine. All working!"

He stood up as she flicked her hair, "Oh Elton, I should have you on tap! I used to have this little mate called Mickey, he did all that stuff," she looked off in thought, "He's gone now. Bless him."

"Well, if you need me, give us a call. I'll jot down my number."

"Well you do that, and I'll make us a cup of tea. Go on, go and sit down. Put the telly on if you want, can't bear it silent," Elton nodded and walked into the sitting room, looking around. His gaze immediately went to photos of Rose growing up on the mantelpiece, "It's just me these days, rattling about," Jackie called from the kitchen as she came out and sat down on the sofa, gesturing for him to do so as well as she handed him a cup. She smiled, seeing him glance at the photos of Rose, "There's my daughter, she's gone travelling. I keep her bedroom all nice and ready though, just in case she comes back."

"And her name is?"

"Rose."

"It's a nice name, Rose," he took a sip of tea, "So where's she...travelling?"

"All over," she sighed, "She got a mobile, I get a call now and then. Not so often as I'd like. Still, that age, who can be bothered phoning home?"

"Who's she with, is it mates, is it, or..."

"Just mates. Yeah."

"Well, if I had you making a nice cup of tea like this, I wouldn't stray far from home."

"You're a charmer," she laughed, "Say it again."

~8~

Kennedy was _very_ happy with the news, "Magnificent! Oh I could kiss you! Except I can't, of course. The ec _zee_ ma."

"I've even got a picture of her on my phone," Elton replied, showing them.

"Oh it's amazing!" Skinner blinked, "You've achieved steps one to four in precise order! How did you manage it?"

"Well, I had to work very hard. She keeps everything very close to her chest."

"That's a hell of a chest," Ursula frowned.

"But how do you move on?" Bridget asked Kennedy, "Step five, _that's_ the problem..."

"Step five!" Kennedy cried, "That's this week's homework. I want a full plan of attack from each of you. Now go on, vamoose!" he banged his cane down onto the desk, "Avanti! There's work to do!" the group turned to leave, "And Elton, keep infiltrating, you will do anything to get that information, boy, _anything_!"

"Yes sir!" Elton smiled.

"Oh, oh Bridget! Bridget, oh yes..." Bridget and Mr. Skinner stopped by the lift and turned, "Could I have a word with you in private, please?"

"Er, Mr. Skinner's giving me a lift," Bridget murmured, hesitant.

"Oh, I can drop you at the station, I'm sure Mr. Skinner won't mind, will you?"

"Not at all...er...well, Bridget, I'll see you next week," he smiled at her.

"Alright then," she nodded. Mr. Skinner gave her a small kiss on the cheek, Elton and Ursula smiling at the sight, before the three of them left, "Bye bye!" Bridget called to them as the lift brought them to the street.

"Now Mr. Skinner," Ursula began as they walked off, "I don't mean to pry, but did you give Bridget a little kiss back then?"

"I think I did," he nodded.

"And if you get your way, might there be _more_ little kisses between the two of you?"

"I think there might…"

"I knew it!" Ursula cheered.

"That's brilliant!" Elton patted him on the back.

"Now, let's not get excited," Mr. Skinner said modestly, blushing, "We'll see."

Unnoticed by the three of them, Bridget screamed from the basement.

~0~

"I thought he was gonna eat me!" Rose laughed as they talked about their latest adventure dealing with the Hoix, sitting outside a quaint little eatery, munching on Fish 'n' Chips.

"Don't worry Rose," Angel smiled reassuringly, reaching out to put her hand on top of Rose's for a moment, squeezing it, "I wouldn't let anything hurt you."

Rose smiled, yup, EXACTLY the same Angel.

And then the Time Lady snagged one of the Doctor's chips, taking a bite of it.

"Oi!" he laughed, "And you call ME the thief!"

She smiled, "Because you _are_!" she held up the other half of her chip, popping it into his mouth.

He grabbed her hand gently around her wrist though, before she could pull away, kissing her fingertip before turning her hand to hold it in his, lacing their fingers together, both of them continuing to eat as Rose smiled at them.

"Thank God you had that pork chop Angel," Rose added, taking a bite of her fish.

"I wonder who that boy was though," the Doctor frowned.

It had been bothering him the last hour or so, that blonde man who had been there. He'd stared at them as though he recognized them, as though he couldn't believe they were truly there, before just taking off. The fact that he'd hardly flinched at the actual alien in front of him made it seem like he'd encountered aliens before which, given that it was London, he probably had. Shop window dummies, the Sycorax, London knew they existed now.

But there was just something more to him.

"Elton," Angel answered, moving to toss a chip into the air, she seemed to have developed a fondness for doing that. Tossing a small bit of food up and trying to catch it, it was fun! She hardly ever managed to do it, but it was fun to try. She liked trying, trying and failing helped you learn what NOT to do next time. She smiled, trying made her a better person, something she was, admittedly, still trying to become. THAT hadn't changed much, she still thought the Doctor was far too wonderful to want plain old her, but still...she wouldn't trade his love for anything in the world. She'd just try harder to be that amazing person he seemed to think she was.

She smiled wider, realizing she JUST might do it this time, catch the chip…when a hand snatched it as it fell.

"Doctor!" she laughed, turning to him, mock-cross, "NOW you see why I call you a thief! _You_ stole _my_ chip…"

He moved his hands behind his back, shifting a bit, "Which hand?" he grinned, moving his closed fists out before him. She just reached out and turned his left hand over, gently opening his fingers to reveal her chip. He held it up to her to eat as he winked, "And that's why I call YOU a psychic."

"Who's Elton?" Rose asked, that part of the conversation _just_ catching up to her, having been distracted by their moment. She missed Mickey in a way. She knew they were both better off friends, close friends, but she missed having a bloke around to act sweet with.

"Mrs. Pope's son," Angel turned to her, "The little boy from that house," her smile faded a bit, though now a mourning for the loss that had come about it rather than a disappointment in herself, "With the Elemental Shade…"

The Doctor moved closer, putting his arm around her shoulders and hugging her to his side, "Well, he looks like he's grown up into a fine man."

Angel smiled, "Could we go meet him?" she asked him, "I just…I want to talk to him, explain what happened. He was so young, I doubt he understood what was going on. When...when my mum died, I just...wanted to _know_."

The Doctor nodded, the boy had been about 3, maybe 4, years old at the time. Watching a nightmare come to life before him, not knowing what had gone on while he slept…yes, the boy _did_ deserve to know, "Alright," he nodded, "Let's make a house call!" he leapt up, pulling Angel with him…when he paused, "Which house though?" he doubted the boy still lived at home.

Angel laughed, picking up her small bit of food to toss away, not about to leave a mess as the Doctor seemed fond to do, "The TARDIS should be able to help, she got a read off of everyone in the house last time to make sure the Shade hadn't infected them, should still have a bit of the trace left to track him down with."

"Right," he beamed, leading them to the TARDIS. He knew the TARDIS would help, of course he did...but he'd asked that just because he knew she'd answer. He loved hearing her talk so confidently, that was something he was determined to do, build up her confidence. He could hear it in her mind, her lingering disbelief that he really HAD picked HER, he would get her to see how wonderful she was if it was the last thing he did.

~0~

Jackie brought over a plate of biscuits and a mug of tea as Elton fixed another plug.

~8~

_"Infiltration went well, 'cos Jackie kept phoning up needing this and needing that."_

~8~

"Down a bit," Jackie commented as Elton hung up a shelf.

~8~

_"It was strange, the amount of things that needed doing."_

~8~

He stood on a stool, changing a light bulb. Jackie walked past, eyeing up his stomach, before offering him some tea.

~8~

_"It's like that flat was jinxed."_

~8~

He'd changed quite a few fuses before checking the bathroom. He buried his head under the sink as Jackie entered, eyeing his bum.

~8~

"It's weird these fuses keep blowing," he commented as he was wedged between the sofa edge, "Must be near a substation. Then you get the power surges still...there we go! Fixed!"

Jackie entered in a very short black skirt, smiling down at him as Elton turned, coming face-to-face with her stomach and stood quickly, "Here we are! A little reward for my favorite handyman," she handed him a glass of red wine, smiling at him, her makeup done, her hair perfect, a tight top on…

"I shouldn't really, I've got the car outside."

"Well, you could always splash out on a taxi, or…" she smiled, suggestive, "Whatever. See what happens."

He nodded a little, nervous, "Right...cheers?"

"Cheers," she clinked their glasses.

"Very nice," he sipped, "What's that, French?"

"I s'pose so. They know how to do things, the French..."

"Is it from Rose? I mean, is she in France?"

"My daughter won't be coming back tonight. Just in case you're wondering. We've got the place to ourselves."

"Right..." he paused, hearing Il Divo playing softly, "Nice music."

"Il Divo."

"Yeah."

"You were saying, power surges," she advanced on him, backing him into the wall.

"From the substation, yeah," he swallowed hard, very uncomfortable.

"Is that why it gets so _hot_ in here?"

"Is it hot?"

"Oh I think so," she smirked, "Should take your jacket off."

"No," he said quickly, "I'm fine, I'll just…"

"No, look, you must be boiling!" she insisted, 'accidently' spilling wine on his shirt, "Oh, look at your shirt! Sorry..."

"I'm...I'm...I'm fine, it's alright…"

"I've _ruined_ it."

"No, no," he shook his head, "Honestly, it's…it's fine."

"Take it off, I'll put it in the wash."

"Oh come on, it's only a little drop," he tried to smile.

Jackie just sloshed the rest of her glass all over his shirt, deliberately, "Oh...there now. Ruined."

~8~

Elton scooted into the bathroom, shrugging off his jacket.

~8~

_"And there I was. The ultimate step five."_

~8~

He pulled his shirt off and preened himself, doing his hair, spraying deodorant…

~8~

_"The perfect infiltration."_

~8~

He gargled some mouthwash and made some boxing moves to psych himself up.

~8~

_"Target: Jackie Tyler."_

~0~

Apparently the TARDIS's tracker was a little off…well…not working at all would be a _better_ word for it. It seemed that the Doctor, while using his trusty mallet, had whacked a button so hard it got stuck and that caused a short-circuit which prevented the monitor from connecting to the tracker. It could still pinpoint a location coming from another source, like when Sarah Jane had sent her own track of the Hoix, but not when it came from the TARDIS herself.

"I'm sorry Rose," Angel smiled at the blonde apologetically as the girl sat on the captain's chair, watching her working on the console. The Doctor had wandered off...more like hiddedn...when he realized he'd technically _broken_ the TARDIS with the mallet Angel warned him against using, "It doesn't normally take this long to fix a circuit but I also have to pop the button out and re-install it and…"

"It's alright," Rose smiled, waving her off.

"It's just…I know you wanted to stop in and see your mum," she sighed, moving to kneel before the console panel she was working half-in. They were planning to go and meet Elton, have a little sit down with him, tell him what happened when he'd been a child before they went off to drop Rose in to see her mother.

That hadn't quite gone to plan.

Which, even if she _wasn't_ a precog, she _should_ have seen coming.

This was _the Doctor_ they were talking about.

"I can see mum whenever I want," Rose tried to reassure her. This Angel, it seemed, felt guiltier for smaller things than the other her.

"You should call her though," Angel added, "Just so she doesn't worry."

Rose sighed but pulled out her phone, "Mum?" Angel glanced back at her work, half-listening to the one-sided conversation going on behind her, "No, no, mum I'm fine. Yeah," she laughed, "I'm alright, but listen...I won't be able to make it in like I said. There was this Elemental Shade and then a Hoix was attacking and the TARDIS needs some work..." Rose paused, "No, I'm not making it up. The TARDIS is parked for the moment...well no not parked, it's sort of drifting in the Time Vortex and..." she sighed, "Yes, it's a _real_ place. No, I can't just pop out of it. And...is that Il Divo playing? Why've you got that on for, you hate that music...oh, right," she winced a bit, "Well tell him I say hello. No, no I don't need to come meet him. Mum, no, mum, listen...look, I'll come see you later, I promise," she nodded to herself, "Yeah, I know, I'll call later, I swear. Ok, I'll see you soon too. Course I'll be careful. Bye!" she snapped her phone closed and sighed before laughing.

"Well _that_ saved me a nightmare," Rose remarked, when Angel looked at her, confused, "I'd rather learn how to change the oil in a car than listen to mum yap on and on about this new bloke she's got hanging round the flat, 'fixing' things," she grimaced…especially when her mother had told her the boy was her age, "He's there right now."

Angel smiled at that, "Well…I don't know much about changing the oil in a car, but how would you like to learn how to fix a TARDIS?"

Rose stared at her, "Seriously?" her eyes widened at the prospect.

"Yeah," she waved her over.

Rose jumped out of her seat and ran over, eager to learn even more about the old box, kneeling beside Angel as she turned…before she frowned, "What is it?" Rose asked.

"It's a bit cramped…" she muttered, eyeing the small panel compartment, before beaming, "I know!" she jumped to her feet, pulled the grilling beside her up, and hopped down, "Come on!"

Rose moved over, dropping down into the underside of the grilling with Angel. It was a small space, she had to hunch over to move, but there was a wider area ahead of her, the technology spread out, not crammed in a tiny little compartment.

"What are we doing?" Rose asked, excited.

"You, Rose Tyler, are going to learn how to change the thermo-couplings," Angel smiled.

Rose laughed, "I have no idea what they are but bring it on!"

~0~

Elton pointed to himself in the mirror, clicking his fingers, and rushing out, over to Jackie's bedroom door, "You're right, it _is_ a bit hot. But it's about to get hotter!"

He stopped short, seeing Jackie sitting on her bed, talking to someone on the phone, "I'll see you soon. Alright, be careful," Elton frowned, concerned, "Bye."

"Everything alright?" he asked as she put the receiver down and sighed.

"That was my daughter," she replied, turning to look at him, standing there, half-naked and sheepish, "Oh, look at you. I'm sorry. I was just being stupid."

"Is she ok?"

"She's...so far away. I get left here sometimes and, um...I don't know where she is, _anything_ could be happening to her, anything. And I just go a bit mad," she paused, "Put your shirt back on."

"Where is she?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm sorry. You'd better go."

He turned to leave, when something struck him, "Actually..."

~8~

 _"_ That's _when it struck me. Funny the things you think of with your shirt off. But that's when I realized what was_ really _important."_

~8~

He turned back to her, "Never mind about Rose. I'm not even gonna ask. And I _will_ put my shirt back on, because I'm going to go out and get us both a pizza. 'Cos I reckon you need cheering up. She goes swanning off and who's left to care about _you_ , eh? So I say a nice bit of pizza, we'll put the telly on nice and loud and annoy that woman next door, just you and me as proper mates. Yeah? Mates. Go on. Say yes."

Jackie beamed, "Yes!"

~8~

 _"All of a sudden, a lot of things made_ sense _. I'd got so lost in conspiracies and aliens and targets, I'd been missing the obvious. 'Cos I DID like Jackie, but I liked someone else even more!"_

~8~

_Elton danced along to 'Mr. Blue Sky,' thinking about Ursula._

~0~

Angel laughed at something the Doctor said to her and Rose as she worked on something in the console, having moved her and Rose back there after he'd come to join them, showing Rose how to check that the thermo-couplings were working. She blinked, the smile fading from her face as she looked out into space…

'… _that's what you become, hard…_ '

'… _thought you liked me…_ '

'… _just get out of here!…_ '

"Angel?" Rose asked, putting a hand on Angel's shoulder, seeing the woman's distraction, "You alright?"

"You might want to call your mum again Rose," she looked at the girl, blinking quickly as she _swore_ she'd just heard Jackie as though she'd been standing right beside her in the TARDIS, and she just _knew_ something was wrong, something had happened, "I think something's upset her…"

Rose's eyes widened and she quickly pulled out her mobile.

"What was that?" the Doctor asked, making his way to Angel's side as she stood, frowning. In his mind he'd heard...well...he wasn't sure...

"I dunno," she breathed, shaking her head before looking at him, "Do you think..."

He nodded, her thoughts racing across his mind, unable to keep them out at the moment, "I think so..." he smiled at her, amazed, "I think you just got a little _actual_ sneak of the future."

"I _saw_ the _future_?" she gaped at him, absolutely stunned at that. She knew he called her a precog and psychic and thought she might have been a Visionary on Gallifrey, had she been tested and trained, but...this had NEVER happened before...

"More like _heard_ I'd say," he joked a bit, it had been a bit of a blur to him, neither of them had been expecting it, so when it happened, neither had really gotten much chance to look at it more, it was over too suddenly, "But yeah, I think you really did."

"Huh..." she blinked, not quite sure what to think about that...if she HAD just seen, well, heard, the future then her feelings were most certainly getting stronger, but...she wasn't entirely sure if that was a _good_ thing, so, instead, she said, "Well isn't that wizard."

~0~

Elton smiled as he walked towards the Powell Estate with two boxes of pizza, spotting Jackie standing outside, waiting for him with his jacket, "Right. Let's get inside then, the pizza's getting cold."

"I went in your coat," she said coldly, "For once in my life I thought 'I'll pay.' I thought 'He's such a nice man, he won't accept anything, so I'll just slip a tenner in his pocket.' And look what I found," she pulled out a photo of Rose, "A photograph of my daughter."

His eyes widened, "No, no, no, no, no, it's not _like_ that. I can explain!"

"I bet you can."

"I wasn't being pervy or anything. I wasn't after _her_! I was looking for the Doctor and the Angel."

"Oh I _know_ that. I worked that out. 'Cos it's never _me_ , is it?"

"No, but that's how it _started_ , but I changed my mind!"

"Let me tell you something," she glared, "About those who get left behind. Because it's hard. And that's what you become, _hard_. But if there's _one_ thing I've learnt, it's that I will _never_ let her down. And I'll protect them until the end of my life. So whatever you want, I'm warning you: _back off_."

"But Jackie, I only wanted to _meet_ them."

"I thought you _liked_ me," she said, blinking back tears.

"I do!"

"Just get out of here!" she shouted, upset, before throwing his jacket at him, "I said get OUT! And leave me alone!" she turned and ran back into the flat in tears as her mobile rang, leaving Elton standing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh...we're starting to see a little bit more of the next level in Angel's abilities here. There'll be a bit more about that in the next chapter, as well as the rest of the saga as Angel continues to grow stronger. Keep in mind, that's just her 'feelings' not the glowing which...will appear in quite a few episodes to come :)
> 
> Next chapter will probably only have one of the Doctor/Angel original scenes, where we see what actually happened inside the house with the Elemental Shade :) Along with a surprise for Elton :)


	36. Love and Monsters: Redemption

Elton paced through LINDA's headquarters, not happy, not at all happy with how he'd been manipulated and treated Jackie, all because of Mr. Kennedy, "And she was right! It's shameful, we USED that woman…"

"I KNEW I couldn't trust you!" Kennedy sneered, "You broke cover, you STUPID little man, you failed step five!"

"I don't CARE about step five!" Elton rounded on him, glaring, "Because it's all gone wrong, Mr. Kennedy, ever since YOU turned up! We used to come here every week, and we'd have a laugh. We were _friends_. No wonder they stopped coming. I mean there's no Bliss anymore, and even Bridget, _she_ hasn't turned up."

"I've been phoning and phoning her, there's no reply," Mr. Skinner spoke quietly, the quiet concern evident in his voice.

"And who can blame her?! I'm sorry Victor, but you're on your own. Because I am leaving! And so are you, Mr. Skinner! And as for you, Ursula…" he walked over to her, "You're coming with me. And we're going to the Golden Locust and we're gonna have a Chinese."

"What's that got to do with it?" she frowned.

"I mean you and me. Together. Having a meal. If you want…"

"Oh...I'd love it," she smiled.

"But you can't _leave_ ," Kennedy called, "You'll never know what they were doing, the Doctor, the Angel. You'll never know what they were doing in your house all those years ago."

"No," he nodded, he realized that, but if there was one thing his confrontation with Jackie had taught him, it was that some things were far more important than knowing, "I'll never know. Ursula, get your stuff. Mr. Skinner, are you coming? Not to the Chinese, if you don't mind, just sort of walking out."

"I certainly am!" Mr. Skinner agreed, standing.

"Victor. Good luck. Goodbye."

"Mr. Skinner!" Kennedy shouted, "Would you stay for a minute, please?"

"We're walking out," he turned to head out.

"I've got numbers for Bridget! I've kept records, I've got old numbers," he sifted through his bag, desperate, "We could track her down. Together. You and I."

Mr. Skinner glanced at Ursula and Elton before shrugging, "That's more like the old team spirit. You two have a nice time."

"I hope you find her," Ursula told him gently.

"I'll email you," Elton added.

The pair turned towards the door as Kennedy gestured for Mr. Skinner to come closer, "Just come a little closer. Come on…"

~8~

Elton and Ursula walked qiuckly down the street, hand-in-hand, both just buzzing with excitement at the thought of the 'date' they were heading to, "Mmm, prawns!" Ursula smiled.

"Yeah, I like prawns," he nodded.

"Do you?" she looked at him.

The scream of Mr. Skinner sounded from the building, but neither of them heard.

"Crispy, aromatic though," he nodded.

"Oh, I left my phone..." Ursula commented, feeling her pockets, wanting to try and text Bridget and Bliss again.

"Really?" he looked around the ground in case she dropped it.

"Yeah! It's not in my pocket."

"So much for the big exit."

"Yeah..." she sighed, "Come on," they turned back, "Hurry up!"

~8~

The lift creaked as it took them back down the basement, "I'm not stopping," Ursula called out, "I just left my...ph...phone…" she stuttered, seeing that Mr. Skinner was nowhere to be found with Kennedy at the desk, hidden behind a newspaper, "Victor?"

"Take your phone and go," Kennedy replied, his voice a bit panicky and strange.

"Where's Mr. Skinner?" she frowned, there was no way he could have gotten out and passed them without them running into each other, there was only one exit from the basement.

"He's gone to the toilet."

"But...we haven't GOT toilets," Elton commented as they crept forward, "We have to use the pub on the corner."

"Well…well…well that's...that's where he is, then."

"Help me..." Mr. Skinner called, his voice muffled.

"...what was that?" Ursula's eyes widened, recognizing the voice.

"Nothing, it was nothing, it was nothing!" Kennedy called, his voice rising.

"Help me!" Mr. Skinner's voice pleaded again, louder.

"Shut up," Kennedy spat.

"That's Mr. Skinner…" Elton stated.

"Victor...look at your hands," Ursula stared at the pale green, clawed hand holding the paper.

"Look at the _rest_ of me," Kennedy smirked, dropping the paper to reveal a green, blob-like alien, fat and squelchy, with a mane of black, oiled hair, "You've dabbled with aliens...now meet the genuine article."

"Oh my God," Ursula gasped, disgusted.

"You're a...thing!" Elton eyed him.

"A THING?" he cried, indignant, "This THING is my true form. Better than that crude pink shape YOU call a body."

"What happened?" Mr. Skinner called. Ursula and Elton stared at his face, sticking out of the alien's stomach, "Where am I? Ursula? Is that you?"

"That's Mr. Skinner!" she shouted, horrified, "What've you _done_ to him?"

"I've absorbed him," Kennedy smirked, licking his lips.

"Colin?" Bridget's voice called from behind the alien, "Is that you? Colin?"

"Bridget, my love?" Mr. Skinner struggled to look.

"Oh my God!" Ursula's eyes widened, "That's _Bridget_!"

"Colin, where are you?" Bridget called.

"I'm here, Bridget!" Mr. Skinner reassured her, "It's alright, I'm close."

"You've absorbed them BOTH!" Ursula yelled.

"What about Bliss?" Elton frowned, "Where is she?" there was a sound that seemed to be Bliss straining to say something, "...what?"

Kennedy leaned over, lifting his bum as Bliss spoke, "I said 'you really _don't_ want to know,'" he shifted his weight back as Bliss groaned.

"You've _absorbed_ her…" Elton shook his head, alarmed, as Kennedy nodded, smiling, "Are you some sort of...Absorbathon? An Absorbaling? An Absorbaloff?"

"Yes!" he pointed at the last one, "I like that."

"Let them go," Ursula commanded, "I'm ordering you! Let those people go!"

"Oh, but they taste so sweet. Just think about the Doctor...ooh, and the Angel…how will _they_ taste? All that experience, all that knowledge, and if I've got to absorb Jackie Tyler to get to them, then so be it."

"Don't you _dare_ ," Elton glared, feeling protective of the woman he'd hurt.

Ursula grabbed Kennedy's cane, shaking it at him as he cowered, "If I have to beat them out of you..."

"Oh, no!" he begged, "Please don't hit me! Look at me, I'm such a slow and clumsy beast. Please don't hit me."

"Well then...give them back!"

"What...you mean like this?" he suddenly reached out and grabbed Ursula, "Just one touch...that's all it takes!"

"Oh, no!" she gasped, watching, helpless, as her arm was absorbed, "Oh...oh no!"

"No!" Mr. Skinner and Bridget yelled.

"Leave her alone!" Elton jolted forward.

"Don't touch me!" Ursula shrieked, "Oh, Elton...I'm so sorry...you _can't_ touch me."

"Ursula..."

"'Most likely to fight back' indeed," Kennedy mocked.

"Leave her alone!"

Ursula screamed as she was absorbed right into Kennedy. He shook, squirming with pleasure, as Ursula's face emerged from his chest, "Yes!"

"No, that's not fair!"

"She tastes like chicken."

"Elton, where are you?" Ursula cried.

"Please...Mr. Kennedy, _please_ ," Elton pleaded, "I'm asking you. I'm _begging_ you. Give her back to me."

"I can't," he replied, matter-of-factly, "Once they've been absorbed, the process is irreversible."

"Wait a minute..." Ursula's eyes widened, "Now I've been absorbed, I can read his thoughts. Oh my God, Elton...you're next...get out of here..." Kennedy smirked, "Now you've seen him, he can't let you go. Just run! Go on! Never mind me, get out!"

"Isn't she the clever one?" Kennedy remarked.

"Run, Elton! Run!"

"Save yourself, boy!" Mr. Skinner shouted.

"Run for your life!" Bridget warned.

Elton hesitated...when Kennedy leapt right over the desk, roaring at him. He turned and ran, right out the doors, down the street, Kennedy right after him, remarkably agile for such a large, fat beast. He ran and ran, till he came to a dead end, hitting a closed gate. Kennedy stopped behind him, cornering him. Elton knelt down, defeated.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Kennedy sneered, "Have you given up so soon?"

"There's no point," he murmured, "Where would I go? Everything I ever wanted..." he glanced at Ursula's face, "Has been absorbed."

"Oh, Elton," Ursula sniffled, "Don't say that."

"But it's true!" he looked at her.

"Then _join_ us," Kennedy held out a hand, "Join us, little man. Come on...everlasting peace. Come on. Join us. Dissolve into me..."

He reached out to touch the unresisting Elton's forehead. Elton closed his eyes, surrendering...when a familiar wheezing sounded. They looked over to see the blue police box appear before them. The Doctor stepped out with Angel, both looking rather unhappy, though Angel seemed more disappointed.

"Someone wants a word with you," the Doctor remarked.

Rose stormed out, glaring as she walked right up to Elton, "You upset my mum."

Elton stared at her a moment, before glancing at Kennedy, "...great big absorbing creature from outer space…and you're having a go at _me_?"

" _No one_ upsets my mum."

"At last," Kennedy said, giddy, "The greatest feast of all. The Doctor and the Angel."

"What's this thing?" the Doctor looked at him, "A sort Absorbatrix? Absorbaclon? Absorbaloff?"

"Absorbaloff, yes."

"Is it me or is he a bit...Slitheen?" Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"Not from Raxacorricofallapatorius, are you?" the Doctor asked.

"No!" he cried, insulted, "I'm not the swine! I SPIT on them! I was born on their twin planet."

"Really?" Angel blinked, "What's the twin planet of Raxacorricofallapatorius?"

"Clom."

"...Clom?" Angel repeated.

"Clom. Yes. And I'll return there victorious, whilst I possess your travelling machine."

"Well, that's _never_ gonna happen," the Doctor said, eyeing the alien skeptically.

"Never _ever_ ," Angel agreed, taking the Doctor's hand, very protective of their old box.

"Oh, it _will_ ," Kennedy remarked, "You'll surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or this one dies."

Angel closed her eyes, her face scrunching, her head twitching just a bit…

'… _mind you, the others might have something to say…_ '

'… _that was Ursula…_ '

'… _it's too late for total reconstruction…_ '

The Doctor glanced over at her, hearing himself speaking words he hadn't yet spoken in her mind. They had actually managed to establish the mental bond firmly now, but they were still working on creating the walls and doors to close it off and keep some things private when need or want be. He and Angel had both noticed that, since absorbing the Vortex for a second time, her feelings and sensations had honed in much more, becoming actual small glimpses of what was to come as well. So far she'd only been hearing bits of conversations that would take place only moments later, but he didn't doubt that would progress into hearing things farther in the future, perhaps even into actual _visions_.

"You see, I've read about you," Kennedy continued, drawing their attention back, "Doctor, I've studied you. So passionate, so sweet. You wouldn't let an innocent man die. And I'll absorb him, unless you give yourself to me."

Rose glanced between the Doctor and Angel, having noticed the shared look they had before. The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, "You're sure you've read that about ME?" he asked, "'Cos I'd swear you're confusing me with Angel," he smiled at her, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it, " _She's_ the sweet, passionate, nice one. Me?" he shrugged, returning his attention to the alien, "Do what you want."

They stood there, watching Kennedy gape, stunned at what the Doctor had said, "He'll _die_ ," he warned them.

"Go on then," the Doctor gestured him to get on with it.

Kennedy hesitated, "So be it," he turned to Elton.

"Mind you, the _others_ might have something to say," the Doctor said, shooting Angel a wink as he echoed the words he'd heard in her mind.

"Others?"

"He's right," Ursula gasped, "The Doctor's right. We can't let him. Oh, Mr. Skinner...Bridget...PULL!"

"No!"

"For God's sake, pull!"

"No, don't, get off, get off!" Kennedy swatted at them.

"If it's the last thing we ever do, Bliss!" Ursula struggled, pulling him apart, "All of us together! Come on! Pull!" he cried out in pain, "LINDA United! PULL!" he dropped his cane, "Elton! The cane!" Elton snatched it, "Break it!"

He snapped the cane in half, a shower of blue sparks jumping from it. The hand on the end opened outwards to reveal a glowing light.

"My cane!" Kennedy gasped, "You stupid man, oh no!" he roared once more, before bursting into liquid and falling to the pavement.

"...what did I do?" Elton looked up.

"The cane created a limitation field," the Doctor remarked, looking at the pile of liquid being absorbed into the ground, "Now it's broken, he can't stopped. The absorber is being absorbed."

"By what?"

"By the earth."

For one brief moment Ursula's face appeared in one of the paving stones, "Bye bye, Elton. Bye bye," a tear fell from Elton's eye as she was absorbed into the stone.

"Who was she?" Rose breathed, her anger forgotten at seeing the boy so heartbroken.

"That was Ursula," he sobbed.

Angel frowned at the words she'd heard, looking intently at the paving stones...

~8~

_"And that's it. Almost. Because the Doctor and Angel still had more to say."_

~8~

"You don't remember, do you?" the Doctor asked a good while later, when things had calmed and they all sat around explaining what had happened to Elton.

~8~

_"And then they explained. That night. All those years ago."_

~8~

"There was a shadow in your house," the Doctor told him, "A living shadow in the darkness. An Elemental Shade had escaped from the Howling Halls."

"We were able to stop it, but..." Angel sighed, "I'm sorry Elton," she reached out to put a hand on his arm, "We weren't in time to save your mum..."

~0~

The Doctor and Angel flew out of the TARDIS, Rose throwing the doors shut behind them as she followed. They'd discovered what the creature in Mrs. Pope's home was, an Elemental Shade. It was a terrible creature that possessed you by devouring your shadow and seeping into you, carving out your soul and making you a slave basically. And once it grew strong enough to do that, it could spread. They'd run back to Mrs. Pope's, only to run into a wall of shadow that had swarmed up around it, the Shade trying to keep them out. They'd run back to the TARDIS, using the power of the box to ram against the walls enough to weaken them. As soon as the TARDIS set down, they were out and running into the house that night.

"Mrs. Pope!" Angel shouted as the Doctor got them through the locked front door via the sonic.

"You're in danger!" Rose cried, running to the foot of the stairs, calling up them.

"Shh," the Doctor warned, flashing the sonic around, trying to pick up a trace of the Shade, having amplified it's energy signature with the TARDIS.

He followed the beeping into the sitting room…the women gasping at the sight.

Mrs. Pope was on her knees, clutching at her throat as though she couldn't breathe, her shadow enormous as the Shade devoured it, glowing an ominous red around the edges, getting closer to Mrs. Pope's feet.

"We can't let it get her!" the Doctor shouted, if the Shade completely devoured her it would be stronger than they could handle. But…he also knew once the Shade started, whatever it ate was already destroyed. Mrs. Pope wouldn't survive this encounter, but they could still save everyone else.

"No Rose!" Angel pulled her back as the girl ran to help the woman, "You mustn't touch her or it'll get you too!"

"Well what do we do?!" Rose looked around, frantic to help the woman. She had a child!

The Doctor spun around, "Lights!" he shouted, "We need lights!" he ran off into the kitchen, searching the cupboards for torches, explaining very quickly, "Shades are typically immune to light, feeding off it during the day to maintain the shadow at night, but while it's feeding, it's vulnerable, when it's feeding the light can _hurt_ it, turn up the light and it'll blast the Shade back, weaken it, then the sonic should be able to finish it off but we need…lights!" he cheered, grabbing two torches, handing them to Rose and Angel, "Turn all the lights on that you can!"

They ran into the sitting room, turning on lamps and overhead lights, plugging little night-lights into the wall, turning on lights in the hall to flood through.

Mrs. Pope screamed, but it was coupled with an almost inhuman quality, the Shade…they watched as it twisted, trying to keep hold of Mrs. Pope.

"Torches!" the Doctor flashed it with the sonic, scanning its power.

Rose and Angel turned theirs on, aiming it at the Shade, it screeched again.

"Closer!" the Doctor called and they ran closer, aiming their lights right at the shadow of a Shade. He checked the sonic again, "Not enough," he looked around, "We need more light!"

"But there isn't any more!" Rose shouted, looking around again.

Angel bit her lip, feeling her stomach start to churn, before looking down at her torch, at her hand holding it…her eyes widening when her hand faintly started to glow golden, the light from her torch taking on a light golden hue as it struck the Shade.

With a fierce screech, the Shade wailed, the Doctor and Rose turning back to see it pulsating red.

"That's it!" the Doctor cheered, moving closer, flashing the Shade with his sonic, not seeming to notice the golden glow subside from Angel's light as he aimed the sonic, turning up the frequency and power…

Till the Shade exploded in a blast of black dots on the walls…fading out of existence as they drifted down…

Mrs. Pope collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Rose ran to her side, "Oh my God…Doctor?"

He looked solemnly down at the woman, flashing her with the sonic though he knew what the results would be, "We're too late," he sighed, "She's gone."

Angel frowned and turned to look out the window, able to see the sky turning a light pink as dawn approached, so sad.

Rose let out a breath before standing, needing something to do, "I'll put these away," she murmured, picking up the torches. It would be better that no one knew they were there, she thought, as she headed into the kitchen.

The Doctor moved over to Angel's side, putting his arms around her from behind, hugging her tightly, feeling her shaking…when they heard a sound upon the stair.

They looked over to see a small boy standing there, no more than four years old, looking from them to his mother on the floor.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor told the boy, "I'm so sorry."

The boy looked at them once more before dashing back upstairs.

Angel sighed, watching him go, knowing what he would do. Try to go back to sleep, convince himself it was just a dream, a nightmare, only to wake up in the morning and see it was _real_ , it _happened_ , and his mother was _gone_.

She'd done the same thing when she'd learned her mother had died.

"Come on," the Doctor whispered, taking her hand to lead her to the door as Rose stepped back out, turning off the lights as she went. They had to be quick, all the noise must have surely woken Mrs. Pope's husband as well...

~0~

_Elton looked away from the computer, recalling when he'd seen his mother lying dead on the floor behind the sofa, "Because that was the night my mother died," he sighed, closing his eyes._

~8~

_Footage of Elton's mother doing house work played, smiling at the camera, laughing._

~8~

_"We forget because we must," he said quietly._

~8~

_Elton turned on the camera, settling himself in his chair, "So, there you go. Turns out I've had the most terrible things happen. And the most brilliant things. And sometimes, well, I can't tell the difference. They're all the same thing. They're...they're just me. You know, Stephen King said once, he said...'salvation and damnation are the same thing.' And I never knew what he meant. But I do now," he paused, thinking, "'Cos the Doctor might be wonderful, but thinking back...I was having such a special time. Just for a bit. I had this nice little gang…and they were destroyed. It's not his fault and it's not Angel's either. But...maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor. Even for a second. I keep thinking of Rose and Jackie, even Angel. And how much longer before they pay the price."_

_"Oh, now don't get all miserable," Ursula said, behind the camera, "Come on, Elton. You've still got me."_

_Elton smiled, "Oh yeah. 'Cos Angel well…"_

~8~

"…too late for total reconstruction…" Angel breathed as Rose made her way to kneel beside Elton just after Ursula disappeared, "Doctor the sonic!" she held out her hand as the Doctor handed it over, everyone looked at her, startled when she suddenly raced over to the stone Ursula had disappeared into and got to work, flashing the sonic across it.

"What's she doing?" Elton sniffled, watching her.

The Doctor beamed, seeing the plan in her mind, "If she can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim…" he shook his head, "If we had waited, it would have been too late!"

"Doctor!" Angel called. He ran forward, reaching out to grab the hand that appeared through the pavement, pulling someone out of the ground as Angel quickly scanned.

~8~

_"Even then, after all that...the Doctor and Angel saved me one last time," he pushed the chair back a bit as Ursula walked out before the camera, sitting on the arm of it beside him, "Here she is," he grinned, putting an arm around her waist._

_"Here I am," Ursula smiled at him, putting her own arm around his shoulder._

_"We're in a relationship..." Elton beamed at the camera._

_"Oh, let's not go into that," Ursula waved him off, blushing._

_"I love her," he told the camera._

_"Ah," she smiled, kissing him on the head, "I love you too."_

_He looked at the camera, "And they didn't stop there…"_

~8~

Elton stood before Jackie, his hand in Ursula's, as he looked at the ground guiltily. Rose stood beside her mother as the Doctor and Angel stood between the two groups, "He really _is_ sorry Jackie," Angel explained, "Truly he is."

Jackie scoffed, "How would _you_ know?"

Angel smiled, knowing the woman didn't mean to be mean, but was just very hurt, she understood what Mickey meant now, about how Rose and Jackie, instead of showing they were hurt or upset, just got angry, "I knew you were upset didn't I? And I wasn't even in this time zone or on this planet."

Jackie looked at her, considering her a moment, "I suppose…"

"He just wants to help. To be a friend to you when Rose isn't here. I swear."

"We _both_ do," Ursula added.

Jackie eyed them a moment before nodding.

Elton stepped forward and hugged her tightly, Ursula joining in…and soon it was just a big old group hug.

~8~

_"But the thing is..." Elton picked up a remote control and pointed it at the camera, zooming in on his face, "There we are...I've even bought a remote zoom. But what I wanted to say is...you know, when you're a kid, they tell you it's all, grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it," he shook his head, "Ah. But the truth is the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder," he smiled, looking up at Ursula a moment, "And so much better."_

~0~

Angel and the Doctor sat on their bed, the Doctor with his back against the headboard, Angel in between his legs, resting with her back to his chest, his arms wrapped around her, a soft smile on his face. They were currently talking silently, working on their mental bond. Angel had insisted that they try to get their barriers up again, and, he would have been offended that she didn't want to let them both have free and complete access to the other's mind but…he _could_ see why having the barriers would be a good thing. He had a tiny idea for a trip planned and was keeping it in the very back of his mind so she wouldn't notice. Barriers would help him be able to keep the surprise a surprise, even if she was a precog and might sense it coming.

Angel, though she claimed it was because it was a natural and necessary part of the Mating process, had a different reason. That golden glow…it was the Vortex. It scared her enough knowing it was inside her, weak though it was, to have the Doctor know about it would be...bad. He'd go mad with worry and that was the _last_ thing she wanted to do, worry him. So she wanted the barriers up so she could try to deal with this herself. The Doctor had been so wonderful, so supportive and understanding, she didn't want to add to this, add to his worry and concern. No…this was something, she could _feel_ , she _had_ to do herself. What she'd said down in the Pit had been true, he honestly COULDN'T help her this time. At the time she'd thought she'd said that about the Vortex in her when she faced the Beast, now she realized she'd been talking about THIS.

She shifted a bit in his arms, letting out a content sigh. They'd tried many different positions, finding one that was comfortable enough to let them connect and work and sit that way for long periods. They liked this one the best, it made her feel safe and secure and at ease enough to lower her mental defenses, and he just loved having her in his arms. It was a win-win for both of them.

"Do you think a door would work best?" Angel asked, trying to imagine what barriers would work, what would be strong enough to keep people out but that she could lower quickly enough if she needed to. A door was all she could think of, walls were too solid, harder to take down, slower to put back up. A net had too many holes. And she couldn't really think of anything other than that...

"I suppose," he murmured, his voice in her ear, making her smile, she loved his voice.

She nodded, "You can keep it shut and put a lock on it, or open it..."

"That could work," he agreed, smiling as he thought of what Reinette had once said, 'A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction.'

Angel turned a bit and blinked, looking up at him at the thought.

He winced, "Sorry," he offered a smile, assuming that thinking of Reinette, probably the first woman she'd felt insecure around, wasn't a great thing to do with his mind as open to hers as it was. He knew that meeting Reinette, how excited he'd gotten over it, had put her ill at ease, concerned that he was regretting Mating with her. It had been a ridiculous thing to think, he believed, but he _could_ see now how the situation had looked. He swore he'd _never_ let her feel that way again.

"You talked about ME?" she asked, she'd tried to keep away from thoughts on Reinette, on asking him what happened during that adventure. To find out that, while the woman had been hunted by the clockwork droids, they'd discussed HER of all people, his fear of hurting her by moving too fast. She hadn't known, she'd glanced over while keeping look out, seen them talking and had a feeling they were talking about something very important, but she had no idea the thing they'd been discussing was HER.

He smiled, "I was thinking about you at the time, she asked about it, of course I talked about you. I love talking about you."

"You were thinking of _me_ even when you were helping _her_?"

He reached out and stroked her cheek, "I'm _always_ thinking of you Nella. Every moment of every hour of every day. And I'll never ever stop."

She blushed at that, knowing it was true now, she could see it in his mind, "I think about you a lot too," she admitted.

"Good," he laughed, nodding, his nose brushing against hers before he closed his eyes and rested his forehead to hers, imagining a door, a beautiful light wooden door with golden symbols in Gallifreyan, her NAME, that he opened, showing her the vast room within, that held all his ever-expanding thoughts of her…until he felt her lips on his, overwhelmed by his thoughts, by his thoughts of _her_ , and kissed her back, smiling.

Making the rest of the doors could wait, nothing could beat that moment, having her in his arms, kissing her, her _finally_ seeing how much he loved her in his mind. Half the battle had been won, now he just had to show her what was in his hearts. The mental bond shouldn't take that much longer to solidify, and then...the emotional connection would take care of that.

He couldn't wait for her to feel how his hearts beat for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Angel saved Ursula! Are we seeing a slight pattern here? ;) I always felt so bad for Elton, but now he's got his girl back :) I sort of felt like, maybe, the Doctor just hadn't thought to try and free Ursula quickly enough, like he waited too long. The Ursula on the slab in the episode was flesh colored so I thought, maybe if it had happened right after she'd been freed, that they might just save Ursula completely :)
> 
> As for Angel and this new development in her 'feelings' well, we'll find out :) Lol, she reminds me a little of Idris here, but not saying what she's hearing/seeing like Idris did :)


	37. Fear Her: The Scribble

A little old woman walked down the street of Dame Kelly Holmes, stopping just beneath the banner for the 2012 Olympics and looking around, "Morning, love!" a postman called to a woman as two men worked on the street, trying to get everything looking wonderful for when the torchbearer ran past the end of their road.

"Morning!" the woman waved, walking past two boys playing football on the front lawn of a quaint house.

"Yes!" one of the boys shouted, scoring a goal.

"Hiya!" the woman waved to one of the boy's parents as she walked past.

"Alright?" the father called, waving back.

The old woman looked around, confused, when a black woman stepped out of the house before her and walked over, "Maeve? Are you ok?"

"No, love, I'm not," Maeve shook her head.

"Do you want me to call a doctor?"

"A doctor can't help," Maeve sighed, looking around, even more nervous, she could just feel it in her weary old bones that something wasn't right, "Can't...can't you _feel_ it, Trish?"

"I can't feel anything," Trish shook her head.

Maeve turned around, seeing the boys playing football, "Boys! Get indoors!" she hurried over to them, "Get inside! Get them inside!"

"What's up with you?" the father asked, "They ain't done nothing wrong..."

"It's happening again!"

Trish glanced uneasily up at the silhouette of her daughter, sitting at the window of her house, before hurrying back inside, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree..." she heard her daughter singing.

~8~

"Merry merry king of the bush is he..." the girl sang as she watched the boys playing football, "Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra gay your life must be," she reached across her desk and pulled out some paper and pencils, drawing.

~8~

"They're not safe!" Maeve shouted outside.

"They're in the _garden_!" the father argued.

"That's what it _likes_. It likes it when they're playing. Get them in, I'm _begging_ you."

~8~

"Merry merry king of the bush is he..." the girl sang, drawing one of the two boys playing outside, "Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra gay your life must be."

~8~

"I've got my beady eyes on them," the father tried to shoo Maeve away.

"But, I…" Maeve called.

"Come on."

~8~

The girl paused, finishing coloring in the child. There was a whoosh as, just outside, the same boy disappeared.

~8~

"No!" Maeve shouted.

"T…Tom?" the father called.

"What are you?"

"Where's he gone?"

~8~

Downstairs Trish leaned against the door, looking up the stairs that led to her daughter's room, a sad and terrified look on her face.

~8~

Maeve continued to shout, "What do you want with our children?!"

~8~

The girl hummed to herself as she pulled the picture close, looking at it. She watched as the picture came to life, the young boy running towards her, shouting, screaming, terrified, trapped.

~8~

The TARDIS appeared in the middle of two gates, one saying 'Danger Keep Out' and the other reading 'No Parking in Front of these Gates.' Which was lucky for those inside the old box as they were parked _beside_ the gates. Unfortunately, as the Doctor discovered upon opening the doors, the TARDIS had materialized the wrong way, the doors blocked by one of the gates.

"Ah…" he nodded, stepping back inside.

"I _told_ you to set the coordinates for negative," Angel called as she and Rose stood by the doorway while he walked past, "Not positive."

"I know," he waved her off, though he couldn't help but smile at that.

The old Angel wouldn't have said anything, just laughed or asked him why he'd parked the TARDIS like that as though he'd consciously chosen to land in that way, but THIS Angel, _she_ was actually starting to correct _him_. He _loved_ it! They'd had a few adventures now and she seemed far more confident in the areas she _knew_ about, like history. She'd corrected a few of his dates, a few events he'd spoken of, she even took more charge in piloting the TARDIS. Seeing her confident enough to say things like that to him made him absolutely _tickled_! This was the start, he knew, HE could feel it, the start of Angel seeing how fantastic she was, how brilliant. Sure, it was small things, a date here or there, a remark about the TARDIS, but he was determined to get her to actively engage and explain things more.

And, he had to admit, there was something about _her_ explaining something to _him_ that he found incredibly appealing, very...sexy. He blushed at the thought, thankful they'd managed to work up some doors, few though they were, that he could hide thoughts like that behind. They still needed quite a bit of work. They weren't very strong, very defended, they could be opened far too easily and...there were some aspects of his past he'd rather not have Angel have to witness in his mind, things he'd done that he wasn't proud of, not just how he'd stopped the War, other things, from past adventures. He knew she saw him as this incredible man, this fantastic, wonderful person...he...he didn't want to tarnish that image. He wanted her to think that of him for as long as possible.

He knew humans often felt that way about him, but, well, humans could be impressed by the simplest things at times. And he was FAR from simple. But Angel...she was one of his people, she was a Time Lady, for HER to be impressed with him...that was something he wouldn't ever trade for anything.

That was something he didn't want to lose.

"I know," he flicked a button, resetting the coordinates to negatives and the TARDIS switched spots, opening the right way this time. "Ah!" he grinned as he stepped out after Angel and Rose, taking Angel's hand and kissing the back of it, "Brilliant."

Angel blushed as Rose looked over at a Shayne Ward poster advertising a CD of his, "So, near future, yeah?"

"I had a passing fancy," the Doctor replied, "Only it didn't pass, it stopped."

~8~

The trio walked down the road to Dame Kelly Holmes under the Olympic banner, "2012," Angel smiled, a bit tense.

She was trying very hard not to think that, at that very moment, somewhere in America, her previous self was still chained up in Van Statten's museum with a Dalek locked up a short distance away. She still had nightmares about it, that this was all just a dream and she'd wake up to find herself locked away, Van Statten leering at her as he tried to learn more about her, able to hear the Dalek screaming itself into madness.

The Doctor though, seemed more aware of her distress when they slept, he'd wake up as soon as she did, the nightmare flashing across his mind as she'd be too frantic and tired to hide it from him. He'd take her in his arms, holding her close, just whispering sweet words and reassurances in her ear, quite a few of which left her blushing, but feeling very safe and loved and assured that it was all _real_. She could feel him beside her, hear him talking, feel his presence in her mind, he was THERE. SHE was there. They were together, neither of them were alone.

And then she'd fall asleep in his arms once more, a moment she treasured.

"30th Olympia."

"No way!" Rose squealed, linking her arms through Angel's as they walked, "Why didn't _I_ think of this, that's great! Ah!"

The Doctor beamed at the sight of the two smiling, he had to admit, he'd been as concerned as Rose seemed to have been about what the girl's reaction to the new Angel would be given her reaction to his own regeneration. He'd actually been worried that she would resent Angel for some reason, he didn't know why she would though. He'd been infinitely relieved to see them both as close as ever, still acting like they were sisters.

"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about," he commented, "Wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood about, begging...no, wait a minute...that was Club Med," he laughed at his joke, nudging Angel who ended up nudging Rose as well, dropping her arms, "Just in time for the opening doo dah, ceremony...tonight, I thought you'd both like that," he smiled, he'd had this little idea in the back of his mind for a while. They'd been to the first Olympics, their last trip before dealing with the Beast so he'd had the idea of going to the most recent one, well, recent in terms of Rose's timeline, as a trip, "Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch...lovely chap, what was his..."

Rose turned to go look at a lamp post, seeing posters tacked to it while Angel paused in the middle of the road, frowning as she looked down it.

"Mark? John? Mark? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet."

"Doctor…" Rose mumbled.

"And in those days, _everybody_ had a tea party to go to…"

"Angel?" Rose looked over at Angel, knowing the girl tended to pay more attention to others than the Doctor did, especially when he started rambling.

Angel shook her head and headed over to where the blonde was standing.

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top…"

"Doctor, you need to see this," Angel called, finally drawing his attention.

Rose had to smile at that, there was ONE thing the Doctor NEVER ignored, no matter the situation or the danger or his own gob...Angel.

"Do you know those…those things?" the Doctor turned, walking over to them, "Nobody else in this entire _galaxy's_ ever even bothered to _make_ edible ball bearings. Genius," he frowned, reading the posters of missing children, far too many for just one street, "What's taking them, do you think?" they turned and looked down the street, "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this..."

"It's a bit chilly isn't it?" Angel asked, tugging the edges of her off-the-shoulder sweater up a bit.

"Is something reducing the temperature?" the Doctor looked around.

"It says they all went missing this week," Rose read, "Why would a person do something like this?"

"Why do you think it's a _person_?" Angel asked.

' _What do you think?_ ' the Doctor asked Angel quietly as Rose turned to look at the sound of a door opening.

' _I dunno…_ ' she shook her head, before slowly turning and walking down the road, the Doctor following her.

"Whatever it is," Rose remarked, staring at a woman as she brought out her recycling, casting Rose furtive looks, "It's got the whole street scared to death. What…" she turned around, only to see the Doctor and Angel already at the other end of the road.

~8~

"It's here…" Angel remarked, standing at the edge of someone's lawn, "Whatever it is…it happened _here_ …"

The Doctor nodded, stepping onto the grass and holding out his hand as though feeling for something. He crouched down, his hand hovering above a section of grass as Angel moved to crouch beside him, observing, not really having a clue what he was doing, but watching.

~8~

Rose hurried along the road, when a car suddenly shuddered to a halt, the engine giving up. She stopped to look at it as a black man, a council worker, propped his broom against his white van and headed over, "There you go," the worker called, "Fifth today. Not natural, is it?"

Rose frowned at that.

"I dunno what happened," the driver shook his head, "I had it serviced less than a month ago."

"Nah, don't even try and explain it, mate. _All_ the cars are doing it. And do you know what? It's bonkers. Bonkers," the driver got out, "Come on then, pal. I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on the way, happier you'll be," he started pushing the car, straining as the driver pushed from the driver's side, steering.

"There we go."

"Do you want a hand?" Rose offered.

"No, we're alright, love," the worker grunted.

Rose grinned, "No, you're not. I'm tougher than I look, honest," she jogged over and positioned herself behind the car, helping him push. They'd gotten a few feet away when the car sprung to life, nearly causing them to fall over, "Does this happen a lot?"

"Cheers, mate!" the driver called, heading off.

"Been doing it _all week_ ," the worker muttered.

"Since those children started going missing?" Rose ventured.

"Yeah, I s'pose so."

~8~

The Doctor giggled as he wiggled his fingers, feeling something, "Tickles," he breathed to her, before turning and wiggling his fingers against her side, tickling HER, making her laugh and jump away, falling onto her bum as she lost balance in her crouch, but smiling the entire time.

"What's your game?" someone said behind them. They turned around to see a man standing at the edge of the lawn.

"My...um...Snakes and Ladders?" the Doctor floundered, "Quite good at...Squash. Reasonable."

"I think you're being a little rude again," Angel muttered to him.

He sighed, seeing that as well, "There's no call for it."

~8~

Rose and the worker, who she'd learned was Kel, walked along the road together, "Every car cuts out," he explained, "The council are going nuts. I mean, they've given this street the works. Renamed it...I've been tarmacking every pothole..." he gestured to the ground proudly, "Look at that. Beauty, innit? Yep! And all that is because that Olympic Torch comes right by the end of this close. Just down there. Everything's got to be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't."

"It takes 'em when they're playing," Maeve said, stopping by them as she walked.

"What takes them?" Rose asked as Trish stepped out of her house.

"Danny...Jane...Dale...snatched in the blink of an eye."

"We're…we're police officers!" the Doctor tried to argue as he and Angel were backed away from the house by the man, "We've got a badge, and…and a police car...you don't have to get…we can…I can prove it! Just hold on…" he dug through his pocket for the psychic paper.

"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don't look, or sound, like _any_ of them!" the man shouted.

"See, look!" the Doctor pointed at Rose, "We've got a colleague! Lewis."

Rose gave the man a policeman-like wink.

"Well, she looks less like a copper than _you_ do."

"She's in training," Angel cut in, trying to help the Doctor as he floundered, "She's just a new recruit."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "It was either that or hairdressing, so..." he _finally_ got hold of the paper and held it up to the man, "Voila!"

"What are you going to do?" Trish asked, joining them.

Angel looked at her, frowning suddenly as she eyed the woman. She just felt...off...the woman wasn't quite right. No, something about the woman wasn't right...like she was hiding something. She was scared, and hiding something, hiding from what scared her...but what?

"The police have knocked on every door, no clues, no leads, _nothing_ ," Maeve lamented.

"Look, kids run off sometimes, alright?" the man tried to reason, "That's what they do…"

"Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then..." Maeve mimicked a disappearance, "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street."

"It's right here," Angel whispered as her gaze wandered away from Trish to look at the ground, really trying to take in all of her 'feelings' when they happened, trying to learn more about them, FEEL more when they happened...and something was pulling her attention to the street...

"Why don't we…" the Doctor began.

"Why don't we start with _him_?" another woman joined them, pointing at Kel, "There's been all sorts like _him_ in this street, day and night."

"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" Kel glared.

"Yeah, and taking an awful _long_ time about it," Tommy's father remarked.

Angel's gaze drifted, looking up at a silhouette in the window of Trish's house.

"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just…" the Doctor tried once more.

"You don't…what you just said, that's _slander_!" Kel shouted.

"I don't _care_ what it is!" the neighborhood woman cut in.

"I think we need to just…" the Doctor interrupted.

"I want an apology off her!" Kel exclaimed.

"Stop picking on him," Maeve nodded.

"Yeah, stop picking on me!"

"And stop pretending to be blind! It's _evil_!"

"I don't believe in evil," the woman shot a nasty look at Kel.

"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van…" Kel cried angrily.

"Ay, ay, ay, that's _not_ what she's saying," Tommy's dad replied.

"Would you stop ganging up on me?!"

"Feeling guilty, are we?" the woman asked as Angel put her finger on her lips.

"Fingers on lips!" the Doctor shouted a moment later, putting his finger on his lips, glaring all around at them till they did the same. He glanced at Angel to see she had already had her finger on her lips, though her gaze was rooted on something else. He turned his gaze on Rose, looking at her pointedly till she did the same, "In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?"

"Er...can I..." Maeve gestured to take her finger off her lips. The Doctor nodded, "Look around you...this was a _safe_ street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"

Rose glanced around, frowning when she saw Angel staring up at something. She looked up as well, following her gaze to a silhouette in the window above Trish's house. She shifted, feeling uncomfortable just looking at it watching them.

"You feel that too?" Angel asked Rose quietly, having been right beside her, feeling her moving.

"What is it?" Rose replied.

Trish looked up, seeing the two women staring at her daughter, before turning and hurrying back inside.

~8~

Tommy's father watched as the Doctor sniffed around his yard, Angel and Rose standing off to the side as the Doctor literally _sniffed_ his way around the yard, "Want a hanky?" Rose quipped.

"Can you smell it?" the Doctor looked over at them, Angel had a faint grimace on her face as Rose sniffed too, "What does it remind you of?"

"Sort of...metal?"

Angel nodded, "Like a...burnt fuse."

The Doctor waved at Tommy's father before turning to lead them away, past the house and down a back alleyway that lead to the backyards, "Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other," the Doctor pointed at one of them.

Angel stopped suddenly, "Do you feel that?"

The Doctor held out his hand, "Whoa, there it goes again!" he held his hand up to Rose, "Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand."

Rose sniffed, grimacing, "And there's that smell, the burnt fuse plug, it's back."

"It's um..." Angel paused, trying to not only phrase it in a way that made sense to Rose, but make sure she was saying it correctly, "Left over _energy_ where the kids disappeared," she frowned, "So...something's teleported them then?" she looked at the Doctor as he nodded, smiling at how she'd worked that out.

"Whatever it was," he murmured, "It used an awful lot of power to do this."

~8~

Trish's daughter sat in her window, looking out, watching a ginger cat on the front lawn across the street, before pulling more paper towards her and drawing.

"You have to come down some time, Chloe," Trish called, entering the room.

"I'm busy, mum," Chloe waved her off, drawing almost unnaturally fast.

"Look at it in here..." Trish commented, looking at the wall of pictures in Chloe's room, "You must've used up half a rainforest," she picked up a half-finished drawing where one of the children looked up at her, "That's Dale. Why did you draw him so sad?"

"I didn't _draw_ him like that," she stated, holding her hand out for the picture, "Dale made _himself_ sad. So I'm gonna draw him a friend," she continued to draw the cat, "That's what he needs. More friends."

Trish watched her a moment, her brow furrowed, "Have you seen the TV?" she tapped a button on the laptop, bringing up footage of the Olympics, "Look, this'll cheer you up. The Torch is gonna be close," she sat down on Chloe's bed, "They'll pass right by our street. And tonight they'll light the Olympic Flame in the stadium, and the whole _world_ will be looking at our city."

Chloe didn't even look up.

"I mean, doesn't that make you feel part of something?"

There was no reply.

"Sweetheart? Chloe?"

"I'm busy, mum."

"Ok," Trish nodded, speaking quietly before standing, "You're tired, Chloe. I heard you calling out again, last night."

"It's fine."

"Nightmares?"

"I'm drawing!"

"Whatever they are...they're just _dreams_ , you do know that? They can't hurt you."

"I'm busy. Unless you want me to draw _you_..." she looked up at Trish darkly, "...mum."

"If you wanna stay cooped up in here, fine. I'll leave you to it," she turned and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her as Chloe continued to color in the cat.

~8~

Rose walked a few paces behind the Doctor and Angel as they walked hand-in-hand, stepping out of the alley and back to the street, "Aren't you a beautiful boy?!" she exclaimed, spotting a cat.

"Thanks!" the Doctor beamed, "I'm experimenting with back-combing..." and then he noticed Rose was referring to the cat, "Oh."

"Don't worry," Angel smiled, wrapping an arm around him, " _I_ think you're a beautiful boy."

He beamed at her, brushing a lock of red hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ears. He'd noticed quite a few changes from this version of her and her last. She was far more at ease around humans, more able to relate to them, less confused by them. She also seemed a bit more confident, stronger. Not only in her personality, in how she was around him and in their blossoming relationship, but with her gifts, that was where things got a little complicated. They were getting stronger, they both knew that, and, at times, she seemed on the verge of slowly coming to an understanding about them. Though, at other times, she seemed confused, even scared almost, of her abilities. Sometimes he would see her with a distant look, deep in thought, she almost never gave him a straight answer about what was bothering her, but he respected that. He hadn't brought it up much, not specifically, he knew it was a touchy subject and, to be honest, he didn't fully understand how her feelings worked either, but he didn't want to push her to try and work them out when she wasn't comfortable with it.

"I used to have one like you," Rose cooed to the cat as it meowed. The Doctor just watched uncomfortably, looking as though the cat was a rather nasty creature, "What?" Rose noticed as well.

"No, I'm not really a cat person," he remarked, "Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it."

"Come here, puss!" Rose called as the cat wandered over to a cardboard box. The Doctor averted his eyes and started looking around the street, "What do you wanna go in there for?"

There was a whooshing sound as the cat's meows faded. Angel shivered violently next to the Doctor as it happened, "What's wrong?" the Doctor looked over at her.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, "Angel!"

They hurried over to see her looking at the box, the _empty_ box.

"Whoa!" the Doctor drew back at the smell, "Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" he waved the box as he picked it up, "Iron residue. Blimey! That takes some doing!" he flipped the box over, impressed, "Just to snatch a living organism out of space/time. This baby is just like, 'I'm 'avin' some of that,' I'm impressed."

"So the cat's been transported?"

"It can harness huge reserves of ionic power," the Doctor shook his head, putting the box down, "We need to find the source of that power…" he looked around, "Find the source and you will find...whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see," he patted Rose on the shoulder before pointing his fingers at his eyes and then her, "Keep 'em peeled, Lewis."

Rose nodded as the Doctor walked off to the alley behind the houses on the other side of the street, leaving the two girls to do some investigating of their own.

~8~

Chloe sat in her bedroom staring at her desk, "I've given you friends and you _still_ moan. Moan, moan, moan. You're lucky. You're all together," she looked around at the sad children on her walls, "You don't know what it is to be alone. If you did, you'd be _thanking_ me," angrily she pulled more paper towards her and started to draw, only to have her pencil snap, "No!" she scribbled her frustrations out on the paper.

~8~

Rose wandered down the left side of the street while Angel took the right side, both of them just looking around for clues. Angel paused a moment before a garage, a second before a crash sounded from within it. She glanced back to see if Rose had heard it and walked forward. She stopped by the garage door, hearing something metal rolling around. She reached out, putting her hand on the door, just waiting. Something crashed against the door, and she dropped her hand to the knob. She threw the door open, only for what looked like a mess of wires to fly at her. She jumped back, holding up her hands as though to placate it as the object floated before her, looking for an attack. It shot at her and she jumped back, trying to avoid it as it made its next move.

"Doctor!" she heard Rose yell from behind her.

"Watch out!" the Doctor shouted, running around a corner with the sonic, flashing it at the thing. Angel watched as it convulsed and shrank into a smaller version of itself. She jumped forward, catching it before it fell to the ground.

"Angel!" Rose called, running to the woman and pulling her into a hug, "You ok?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" the Doctor pulled her away from Rose and hugged her himself, putting her at arms' length to eye her up and down for any sign of injury, but she seemed fine, she nodded so anyway...and then he frowned, "What is this…" he muttered, looking down at the blob in Angel's hand, "I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is. 'Cos I haven't got the foggiest."

"Me either."

"Well, I can tell you you've just killed it," Rose remarked.

The Doctor reached out and took the blob as Angel explained, "I don't think it was alive to begin with. It smells like it's been animated by the same energy that took the children."

The Doctor tossed it up in his hands, delighted, "That is so dinky! The Go-Anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket, makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties..." he pocketed it as the girls laughed.

~8~

The Doctor looked at the monitor as the computer on the TARDIS scanned the blob as it sat on the console, "Oh, hi ho, here we go," he muttered, "Let's have a look," they looked at the screen which was displaying a mess of Gallifreyan symbols, "Get out of here..."

"What's it say?" Rose asked, unable to read it.

"Graphite," Angel blinked, as surprised as the Doctor, "It's made of graphite."

The Doctor picked up the blob and used the eraser of a pencil to rub out part of the object, confirming it, "It is!" he blew the bits off, "Basically the same material as an HB pencil."

"You were attacked by a...pencil scribble?" Rose looked at Angel.

"Scribble creature," the Doctor nodded, sniffing it and letting them sniff it as well, "Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But...why make a scribble creature?!"

"Maybe it was a mistake...I mean, you scribble over something when you wanna get rid of it. Like a um...like a drawing. Like a..."

"A _child's_ drawing," Angel breathed as the Doctor looked at her but she and Rose were just staring wide eyed at each other as though they'd figured something out, "It was in the street."

"The girl!" Rose nodded.

"Of COURSE!" the Doctor shouted, just wanting to get in on their cheers, "...what girl?"

"Something about her gave me the creeps..."

"Even her _mum_ looked scared of her," Angel added.

"Are you deducting?" the Doctor smiled at them both.

"I think I am," Rose played along, seeing as she was the one 'in training.'

"Copper's hunch?"

"Permission to follow it up, sarge?" Rose laughed.

"Permission granted," Angel played along as well, she had to admit, she rather liked the fact that she could tell when humans were joking now. It was much more fun to be a part of the joke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! :D


	38. Fear Her: The Isolus

The trio stood outside Trish's house, ringing the doorbell, waiting for the woman to answer, which she did a moment after Angel also rapped on the letter box, as though sensing that the woman would try to ignore them standing there as long as possible in the hopes that they might just turn and leave.

"Hello!" the Doctor smiled once the door had opened, "I'm the Doctor, that's Angel..."

"Nice to meet you," Angel smiled, offering a little wave.

"And this is Rose. Can we see your daughter?"

"No!" Trish snapped, "You can't."

"Ok!" the Doctor nodded, turning to leave, "Bye."

' _3...2...1..._ ' Angel counted off in hers and the Doctor's minds, ' _Now._ '

"Why?" Trish called right at that moment, they stopped and turned to her, "Why do you want to see Chloe?"

Angel smiled, "Her name's Chloe?" Trish nodded, "That's a lovely name," she said warmly, getting Trish to smile just a bit at the compliment.

The Doctor smiled at Angel a moment, she was wonderful like that. She just had this way about her of getting others to trust her almost immediately, just knowing exactly the right thing to say to them. Well, this NEW her at least. The last her sometimes said things that ended up putting others off or accidently offending them first, like when she'd inadvertently called the Duke of Manhattan fat. He'd loved that about her, found it a constant source of amusement and adorableness. But this version of her was just brilliant at it, it really was amazing what the right words at the right time could do.

And he loved that about her as well, how others just seemed to sense her genuine kindness and accept her.

Angel glanced at the Doctor to see him gazing at her softly, seeming to have completely forgotten Trish was waiting for an answer. She nudged him lightly in the side and he blinked, shaking his head.

"Well," he cleared his throat, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as he was openly caught admiring her, "There's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought...well, _we_ thought, that she might like to give us a hand."

"Sorry to bother you," Rose added, sending a smirk at the Doctor, letting him know she'd caught him staring at Angel as well, the man really was a goner about the girl.

"Please get back to what you were doing," Angel nodded.

"On your own," the Doctor finished as they turned away again, taking Angel's hand as he called a "Bye again!" over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Trish called as they turned back once more, "...can you help her?"

The Doctor smiled, "Yes, we can."

~8~

"The torchbearer is running up towards the mall, which I can tell you is..." a news reporter commented on the TV as they entered Trish's sitting room. Rose sat down on the sofa while the Doctor flung his coat on the arm rest next to her, Angel sitting beside Rose while the Doctor stood.

"She stays in her room, most of the time," Trish sighed, standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the hall, "I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me _nothing_ , just asks to be left alone."

"What about Chloe's dad?" Rose looked at her.

"Chloe's dad died a year ago."

"I'm sorry."

Angel blinked as she looked at the woman, "But YOU aren't, are you?"

Trish shrugged slightly, "No one would be if they'd known him," she murmured quietly.

"Well!" the Doctor said brightly, "Let's go and say hi!"

Trish hesitated, "I should check on her first...she might be asleep."

"Why are you so afraid of her, Trish?" Angel asked gently reaching out to take the woman's hand, squeezing it, "She's your daughter."

Trish looked startled that they seemed to know how she felt despite how much she tried to hide it, but swallowed, "I know. And I love her very much. I just...I want you to know before you see her that she really IS a great kid."

"I'm sure that's true," Angel nodded, tugging the woman to sit on the sofa beside her.

"She's never been in trouble at school...you should see her report from last year. As and Bs," she smiled at Rose, proud.

"Can I use your loo?" Rose asked.

Trish nodded, pointing back towards the stairs, "She's in the choir..." Trish added as Rose headed up the stairs, "She's singing in an old folks' home. Any mum would be proud. You know...I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor. Because right now, she's not herself."

~8~

Rose stepped onto the second floor landing, seeing a shadow blocking out the light from the crack beneath Chloe's doorway. She quickly ducked back into a hall cupboard when she heard someone move in the room. She peered through the gaps to see Chloe leave her room and head downstairs before cautiously making her way out of the cupboard and entering Chloe's room.

There were _hundreds_ of drawings hanging on Chloe's wall of pictures. She crept in further, about to look at them, when the wardrobe door rattled. She gasped, jumping and knocking a pencil holder onto the floor. She knelt down and quickly picked them up, when her gaze was caught on a drawing of a boy, his teeth bared…but that wasn't what held her attention, it was the fact that, a moment ago, that same picture was of a boy _frowning_.

~8~

The Doctor popped his head around a corner, looking through the dining room into the kitchen to see Chloe there, "Alright, there?" he called as he walked in with Angel and Trish to see Chloe getting a drink of milk, "I'm the Doctor."

"I'm Angel," Angel added.

"I'm Chloe Webber," she turned to face them.

Angel smiled, "Very nice to meet you."

"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm busy," she stated, "I'm making something. Aren't I, mum?"

"And like I said, she's not been sleeping," Trish swallowed.

"You've been drawing," Angel looked at the girl, "Haven't you?" she smiled a little, feeling just a little uncomfortable around the girl, there was certainly something...off...about her, "Working on a masterpiece?"

"I'm rubbish," the Doctor remarked, "Stick men are about my limit."

"I'm the same with cooking," Angel added, "I can literally burn water...still..."

She pouted a little, she'd been so hoping that this new incarnation of hers might be able to cook. She just...she'd never really had much of a reason to on Gallifrey. She always got so lost in working on the TARDISes that she'd either be too tired to eat or eat something simple, small snack throughout the day. Her sister was more the cook of the family, always making treats and meals for them. Even after her sister had left, she'd still pop round to make sure they were eating a decent meal. That was something, it seemed, she had actually shared with her father. Neither of them had the patience or the skill to really sit down and make a full meal, content to eat packaged foods or already made meals that just needed a bit of heat or water to be ready.

But...now...now she had _friends_ , like Rose and Mickey, and a _Mate_ that she COULD cook for. When it had just been her, or her and her dad, she never really saw the need to make a lot of food. But she really wanted to _try_ this time. She thought it would be fun, maybe even a little romantic, to be able to make the Doctor dinner one day, a little treat here and there, his favorite foods, just to say she loved him. He and Rose had been doing most of the cooking since she'd joined them and she really DID want to learn to cook, but whether it would happen in this incarnation seemed beyond even her skills to see...though, she had to admit, she'd only been able to glimpse into the very near future, so she never knew, perhaps, one day, this incarnation might learn to cook.

In fact, thinking on it, she could _almost_ feel that, maybe she would. Yes, one day this version of her WOULD be able to cook. She just didn't have the faintest idea when.

"We can do this, though..." the Doctor made a 'live long and prosper' sign from Star Trek, pulling Angel's thoughts to the present as she too made the sign, the Doctor and Rose having explained Star Trek to her after they'd met Captain Jack. Chloe looked unimpressed though, "Can you do that?"

Trish nodded at Chloe encouragingly but all Chloe said was, "They don't stop moaning."

"Chloe…" Trish began as the Doctor lowered his hand.

"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning."

"Who don't?" Angel asked.

"We can be together."

"Sweetheart…" Trish stepped towards her.

"Don't touch me, mum," Chloe flinched back from her.

Trish stopped dead, her hand falling to her side as she glanced at the Doctor and Angel, helpless.

~8~

Rose jumped at the sound of the wardrobe rattling again. After a quick, nervous glance around the room, she approached it, steeling herself before opening the doors slowly, peering inside. A wind rustled the clothing hanging there as she parted them to see a red light surrounding a huge picture of an angry, bearded man making a fist.

"I'm coming..." an angry male voice growled.

~8~

"I'm busy..." Chloe repeated, "Doctor, Angel."

"Oh, come on, Chloe!" the Doctor called as Chloe left, "Don't be a spoil sport!" he walked back into the hallway, not noticing Angel's gaze drift up the stairs, "What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?"

"Rose!" Angel gasped, shooting off up the stairs.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, terrified, a moment later, "Angel!"

The Doctor lurched forward after Angel, sprinting up the stairs after her with Trish and Chloe following. Angel ran right into Chloe's room, hearing a man growling, "I'm coming to hurt you..." she ran forward and slammed the glowing red wardrobe doors shut, resting against them, making sure they stayed shut, as the Doctor raced in.

"Look at it," Rose gasped.

"No, that's alright," Angel panted, shaking her head.

The Doctor frowned, seeing a wall of drawings and walked over to them, putting his glasses on. Angel eyed them as well and stepped forward, away from the doors to follow him, that same off feeling hitting her the nearer she came to the pictures.

"What the hell was that?" Trish gaped, having just glimpsed the red glow before the doors had been shut.

"A drawing," Rose explained, "The face of a man."

"What face?" Trish moved to open the doors but Rose rushed up against them as Angel had, holding them shut.

"Best not."

Trish looked at Chloe, "What've you been drawing?"

"I'm drew him yesterday," Chloe said.

"Who?"

"Dad."

"Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why _him_?"

"I dream about him, staring at me."

"I thought we were putting him _behind_ us. What's the matter with you?"

"We need to stay together."

"Yes, we do."

"No," Chloe glared, "Not _you_. _Us_ ," the Doctor glanced back at that while Angel just reached out and touched one of the pictures, frowning at it, "We need to stay together. And then it'll be alright."

Trish walked over to her, putting her hand on Chloe's shoulder, only for Chloe to flinch away from her.

"Trish, the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked the woman.

"Who gave you permission to come into her room?" Trish glared at her, now cold, hurt from how her daughter was acting, "Get out of my house."

"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe," the Doctor turned to the girl, ignoring Trish.

"I don't wanna hear anymore of this!"

"But that drawing of her dad...I heard a voice," Rose told her, "He _spoke_."

"He's _dead_. And these, they're kids pictures."

"But they're not," Angel shook her head, turning around.

"Just get out!"

"Chloe has a power," Rose said gently, "And I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks, she's using it to snatch the kids."

"Get out."

"Have you seen any of the drawings move?" Angel asked suddenly, watching the woman closely.

Trish looked startled for a moment, before derisively replying, "I haven't seen anything."

Angel took a step towards her, speaking gently, "But you _have_. You saw it out of the corner of your eye, didn't you?"

"No!"

"And you dismissed it," the Doctor stepped up, "Because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain? You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag…"

"She's a child…"

"And you're _terrified_ of her," Angel added, feeling terribly for the woman, to be afraid of your own daughter, but...she glanced at Chloe as well. The girl seemed so...blank...so unaffected, but she could tell, it was whatever was _inside_ Chloe that felt that way. The real Chloe, if that man in the closet, the dreams she'd been having, were anything to go on, the _real_ Chloe was terrified and had no way of expressing it.

To be scared of yourself...well, that was something she could understand and empathize with. The Vortex...it was IN her. She knew what happened to those who took it in, the power corrupted them, burned out _everything_ that was _good_ about them till they were power hungry, cruel _monsters_. It was overwhelming and, while she didn't know exactly why it was so...weak...while inside her, she didn't doubt it would get stronger...and then what? What would happen when it was too strong for her to hide? For her to control? She'd been able to manage it so far, make it go away when it appeared, but...what then?

What if...what if she ended up _hurting_ someone? Rose? _The Doctor_?

She had been worried about her 'feelings' and reactions leading to someone being harmed...now she was truly afraid that SHE would be the one to harm them, harm them in a way _no one_ else would be able to stop. If she reacted to some feeling or another, she didn't know, punched someone or something, she could be held back easily enough. But if the _Vortex_ was used...there would be _no_ stopping it because...she knew...there was no way to get rid of it.

This _wasn't_ like before, she hadn't taken it from somewhere and could just put it back again. Somehow...it had stayed INSIDE her. Somehow, it had become a part of her.

There would be no ridding herself of it.

And that _terrified_ her.

"But there's no one to turn to," the Doctor nodded, not seeming to notice Angel's thoughts, and, in fact, he couldn't, she'd made sure that particular door was hidden well away and the strongest it could be given the tentative defenses they'd built, he had _no idea_ , "Because who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye? No one. Except us."

"Who are you?" Trish whispered.

"We're help," the Doctor smiled.

~8~

Back in the kitchen the Doctor grabbed a jar of marmalade off the countertop as Angel hopped up to sit on the counter, unscrewing the lid to dip his fingers in and suck on them. Rose cleared her throat loudly. He paused and looked at her as she shook her head mouthing 'no,' before meekly replacing the lid and handing the jar to Angel to hold as she'd blocked the spot it should have gone. Angel just smiled at him and leaned over, kissing his temple, but he grinned and turned to her, tapping his lips. She laughed, giving him a peck there as well, teasing him as she knew he hated _short_ kisses.

"Those pictures, they're alive," Rose started, reminding the Time Lords of the matter at hand, "She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures."

"Ionic energy," the Doctor explained, turning to lean on the counter beside Angel, his hand absently resting on her knee, his thumb stroking circles into it, "Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of holding-pen made up of ionic power."

"And what about the dad from Hell in her wardrobe?"

"How many times do I have to _tell_ you?" Trish groaned, "He's dead."

"Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke."

"If living things become drawings…" Angel said quietly, in thought, "Maybe drawings could become living things?"

The Doctor shivered suddenly, making Rose jump, "Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. _That_ dad seems _very_ real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world..."

"She always got the worst of it when he was alive," Trish replied.

"But how can a twelve year old girl be doing _any_ of this?" Rose shook her head.

"I dunno," Angel shrugged when Rose looked at her, wanting to see if she'd gotten any 'feelings' about all this.

The Doctor thought a moment before speaking, "Let's find out."

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, Rose, and Trish entered Chloe's bedroom to find the girl sitting cross-legged on the bed. She looked up at them, making the 'live long and prosper' sign.

"Nice one," the Doctor smiled, before kneeling in front of her. He reached out and held her head in his hands, his fingers on her temples. Her eyes rolled back in her head. He closed his eyes, focusing, and Chloe fell back onto her bed, "There we go..."

"I can't let him do this…" Trish muttered, stepping forward.

"Shh, it's ok," Rose stopped her as Angel walked forward to sit beside Chloe's head, "Trust them."

"Now we can talk," the Doctor straightened up, looking down at Chloe.

"I want Chloe," a voice inside Chloe whispered, clearly not Chloe, "Wake her up. I want Chloe."

"Who are you?" Angel asked gently, "You're not from Earth..."

"I want Chloe Webber!"

"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish cried, upset.

"Doctor, what is it?" Rose looked up, concerned.

The Doctor slowly walked around the bed, "I'm speaking to you. The entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation."

"I don't care about shadows or parleys," the voice hissed.

"You care about Chloe though, don't you?" Angel asked.

"She's my friend. I want my friends."

"You're lonely," Angel nodded, reaching out to stroke Chloe's hair as the Doctor knelt beside her, "I know."

The Doctor smiled softly, watching her with the child. He knew she had a motherly quality to her, she'd taken care of baby Rose for a short while when they'd first met Pete Tyler, he knew she'd often watched her nephew for her sister back on Gallifrey. And then there was how she tended to and cared for the TARDISes. She was just a natural at comfort and protection and care.

And there was that thought of children popping up again far too early for them to consider that. But he had to admit, she'd make a wonderful mother one day. He could only hope to be half as good of a father.

"Identify yourself," he said, shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts. It really WAS _far_ too early to be thinking of having children.

Time Lords, they Mated for life. It was a _very_ serious process and all the steps that led up to the physical aspect were meant to ensure that this happened, that their bonds were so tight, so secure, so completely connected to the other that to lose it would mean the end for the other. They needed to be connected in every aspect, mind and heart, before they could join physically and unite their souls. And, even though they had nearly completed the mental connection, an emotional bond could take YEARS to form. Everything had to be precise, established, strong, before they could even reach the point of physical unity that might lead to a child. But that moment, having been built up to, would be an incredible, Earth-shattering moment that changed the lives of the Mated pair forever.

"I am one of many," the voice began, pulling him from his thoughts, "I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I _hate_ it. It's not fair. And I hate it!" Chloe's eyes open.

"Name yourself!" the Doctor demanded.

"Isolus."

"You're Isolus," he nodded, it all made sense now, "Of course."

"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family," the Isolus explained, using Chloe to draw on a piece of paper beside her, unnaturally fast.

"What's that?" Trish asked, looking at the drawing.

"The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space," the Doctor replied, standing, "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them."

"They need to be _together_ ," Angel remarked sadly, running her fingers through Chloe's hair, her hearts breaking for the child within the child, "They _can't_ be alone. They couldn't bear it."

"Our journey is long," the Isolus continued.

"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod," the Doctor added, "They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up."

"Thousands of years just...floating through space...poor things, don't they go mad with boredom?" Rose frowned.

"We play," the Isolus said.

"You...play?"

The Doctor knelt down beside Angel again, "Mhmm. While they travel, they play games. They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."

"In-flight entertainment."

"Helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost."

"But then why did you come to Earth?" Angel frowned as she continued to stroke Chloe's hair soothingly.

"We were too close," the Isolus tore the paper away and started a new one of the sun.

"That's a solar flare from your sun," the Doctor realized, "Would've made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods."

"Only _I_ fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone."

"Your pod crashed...where is it?"

"My pod was drawn to heat…and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She _needed_ me. And I her."

"You came to her because you empathized with her," Angel nodded, "She was alone like you."

"I want my family! It's not fair."

"I understand," the Doctor reached out to touch Chloe's arm, "You wanna make a family. But you _can't_ stay in this child. It's _wrong_. You can't steal any more friends for yourself."

"I am alone."

Suddenly the wardrobe thumped, "I'm coming to hurt you!" Chloe started to shake and twist on the bed, in fear, though her face remained expressionless, as the door of the wardrobe was pounded on, "I'm coming."

"Trish, how do you calm her?" the Doctor shouted, looking back at Trish as Chloe convulsed.

"What?!" Trish cried.

"When she has nightmares, what do you do?"

"I... I…"

"What do you do?!"

"I sing to her."

"Then start singing," he motioned her forwards as he and Angel stepped back from the bed.

"Chloe...I'm coming."

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he..." Trish began to sing.

"Chloe...Chloe..." the banging and thumping on the doors continued as the trio glanced at it, concerned, while Trish stroked Chloe's hair, "Chloe...Chloe..."

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be," Trish sang as the banging stated to fade, "Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be," Trish swallowed hard as Chloe fell asleep, "He came to her because she was _lonely_...Chloe, I'm sorry…" she buried her face in Chloe's arm, crying.

~8~

Trish moved into the sitting room, picking up any and every pencil she could find, "Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper when he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free," she turned, taking a handful of pencils Rose held out to her, "I thought it was _over_."

"Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asked, sitting down.

"I didn't want to."

"But...maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone. 'Cos she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."

"Her and the Isolus..." the Doctor muttered, unconsciously reaching out to take Angel's hand as she stood beside him, "Two lonely kids who need each other."

They had talked about their time at the Academy, both had been lonely, so very lonely and alone. But while _he_ had a few friends here and there, she had been almost completely alone save for one friend, a child who had grown up nearby her, though even they had made their own friends in the Academy, still making time for her when they could. But...most people had shied away from her due to her insight and precognitive disposition, as though THEY could tell there was something...different...about her.

On Gallifrey the Visionaries were renowned, almost sacred in a way. It was quite common to leave them in solitude so as not to sway or bias their visions of the future. It seemed most Time Lords had a natural instinct to keep a distance from them because, in truth, it _wasn't_ natural for them to be able to SEE the future like the Visionaries seemed capable, have a sense of it yes, observe the timelines yes, have an idea of what must and must not happen yes. But to SEE the future that was coming, that was...beyond most Time Lords, and, as a result, most tended to keep away from the Visionaries.

But not him.

He didn't know if it was due to the Mating process they had begun, or just his natural curiosity, or maybe it was just _her_ but…there was _something_ about her that just _drew_ him in, like a moth to a flame, and he wasn't about to resist. It was like...there had been a...pull...on his soul _long_ before he'd even realized he loved her. Even _before_ he'd regenerated, he'd felt...something...for her, something intense, something he couldn't explain. It was like...she was just _meant_ for him, like she had been _his_ before they had even met, and vice versa. It was a powerful, sometimes even frightening, feeling, to belong to another person so completely, but one that was so incredible at the same time.

"And it won't stop, will it?" Rose spoke, making the Time Lords look over at her, "It'll just _keep_ pulling kids in."

"It just wants to be loved, Rose," Angel sighed, having sensed a crushing loneliness from the Isolus, one she could relate to.

"It's used to a pretty big family," the Doctor agreed.

"How big?" Rose asked.

"Say around...four billion?" he suggested, earning stunned looks from Rose and Trish.

~8~

Chloe watched the laptop in her bedroom, the footage of the Olympics playing, "The queues started a week ago for those desperate enough to be inside, although lots of them expected a capacity crowd of 80,000..." the commentator announced. Chloe glanced up at a small sound from the wardrobe before getting up, "For this evening's opening ceremony. I have to say there's been..."

~8~

The Doctor quickly pulled on his coat as he, Angel, and Rose left Trish's house, "We need that pod."

"It crashed, won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked.

"Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can...hopefully that should keep it in a fit state to launch," Rose glanced up to see Chloe watching them from the window, "It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature."

"If it does, the TARDIS can trace it," Angel nodded.

"Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus."

~8~

Trish walked into the sitting room, on the phone, "She's running a temperature," she picked up a bit of paper on the table, "I can't go into that now, Kirsty. Yes, we've got a doctor."

Unbeknownst to her, Chloe quietly opened the front door and snuck out.

"Yeah, he said he can help her."

~8~

"We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature," the Doctor explained as they neared the TARDIS, "Just need to widen the field a bit," he sifted through his pocket for the key and opened the door, stepping inside.

Angel paused though, looking over her shoulder but, not seeing anything, shook her head and followed Rose and the Doctor in...

Just as Chloe peeked her head around the corner of a gate, watching them enter from a distance, eyeing the box.

~8~

The Doctor fumbled with a device, putting it together, as Rose sat in a captain's chair next to the console, Angel bringing up the monitor and scanning for the ionic energy.

"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you," Rose mentioned, "Both of you. How?"

The Doctor shoved Rose off the chair and sat down, "I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the stina magnetic er..." he nodded at her hand, "Thing in your left hand!"

Rose glanced at him, chewing on her gum as she handed it over, "Sounds like you're on its side," she remarked, slotting the thing into the device while the Doctor held it still.

"We empathize with it is all," Angel called.

"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people."

"It's a _child_!" the Doctor blew on the device, "That's why it went to Chloe, two lonely mixed up kids."

"Hmm...feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way."

"It's just _scared_ ," Angel laughed.

"Come on, you were a kid once," the Doctor agreed, "Binary dot."

Rose held out the small dot on her right hand, "Yes! And I know what kids can be like. Right little terrors."

~8~

Chloe reached under her bed and pulled out a doll, ripping off the head to reveal pencils stashed inside it. She pulled them out quickly, looking at the dark blue one, she needed to hurry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have to say, next chapter will have a very sweet scene involving the Doctor, Angel, and...hot chocolate :) But...as for who will get taken/drawn...well, we'll find out :) I will say this though, Angel WILL be able to cook in this incarnation, but...it probably won't come about in the way most would expect :)


	39. Fear Her: The Torch

"Gum," the Doctor held his hand under Rose's mouth, his mind more on finishing the device than commenting on Rose's feelings about children.

Rose spit her gum into it, "I've got cousins," she continued, "Kids can't have it _all_ their own way. That's part of being a family."

The Doctor stuck the gum onto the device, securing it, "What about trying to understand them?"

"Easy for you to say," Rose smiled, turning around to look at the console, seeing if she could help Angel a bit, "You don't have kids."

"I was a dad once," he remarked in passing.

Rose spun around, shocked, "What did you say?"

"I've been an aunt," Angel added, "Had my fair share of taking care of children too," she reached up and patted the rotor, the TARDISes, she'd always taken such good care of them, treated them as though they were part of her family. True, some of them were far older than she ever thought she'd be, but the new ones, the ones she'd helped grow, the ones that had just begun to grow, she took so much care towards, making sure they were healthy, looked after, tended to, much like children needed to be.

Rose looked at them, stunned. They never told her that! She frowned, realizing just why. She couldn't _begin_ to imagine how hard it must have been to lose a child or family during a war…it was no wonder they didn't talk about it. She'd had a hard enough time when parallel-Jackie had been turned into a Cyberman, seeing her 'mother' practically dead before her, and seeing her father die in the accident...it had been _devastating_. And that had been on Earth, in the middle of peace, well, as peaceful as it could get...they hadn't been brutally slain while fighting in a war, and even then, she still had the rest of her species, her home planet, to surround herself with and return to. They only had each other and the TARDIS.

She knew they talked to each other about their home, their families, sometimes she'd wander in at the tail end of a conversation, just getting brief snippets here and there. She wasn't offended that they didn't talk to her much about THAT. She understood, she _really_ did. Talking...it was _hard_. But there were things that didn't have to be said between them, things that the other just understood because they had seen it happen, experienced it too, _been_ there. She still took comfort in the fact that they DID come to her for other things, and they DID talk to her about other things, just not THAT.

And that was fine.

"I think we're there!" the Doctor cheered, standing, "Fear. Loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy," Rose stared at them sadly, seeing the Doctor trying to cover up his pain, "There's a lot of things you need to get across this Universe, warp drive...wormhole refractors..." Rose pointed at something making a beeping noise, "You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold," he looked up, smiling as he took Rose's hand.

"No!" Rose laughed, "Look, I'm pointing."

Angel shook her head at him before leaning past the Doctor to hit a button, bringing up a flashing white light on the map of the neighborhood, the pod.

"It's the pod!" he beamed, "It is in the street! Everything's coming up Doctor!" he scooted off towards the doors, the device still in his hand as Rose followed. She paused, watching as Angel joined him at the doors, giving his hand a small squeeze. They shared a sad, understanding look before he squeezed her hand in return, lifting it to kiss the back of it, before they stepped out. She smiled, they may not want to talk about their past with her, but they didn't have to with each other, they had an understanding, a shared pain. They didn't need to talk about it, the other just understood. And as long as they could find some sort of comfort about their pasts in each other, she was happy for them.

She dashed off after them.

~8~

Chloe got to work, quickly drawing a picture of the TARDIS.

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Rose, stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor handing Angel the device so he could shut the doors behind them and lock them, "Ok. It's about two inches across. Dull gray, like a gull's egg. Very light..."

~8~

Chloe moved on to drawing the Doctor...only to pause, glancing at her closet door, before tossing down the pencil and grabbing her red one to start the hair...

~8~

"So these pods, they travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah?" Rose asked as she and Angel walked ahead, "So it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?"

"Angel!" the Doctor suddenly shouted as Rose looked over, hearing a crash happened right beside her. She gasped, seeing that the device the Doctor had constructed to recharge the Isolus pod shattered on the ground, Angel and the TARDIS both gone.

"Doctor?" Rose's eyes widened, scared as he dashed over and knelt down, touching the device.

His hand clenched into a tight fist, his jaw tensing as his hearts began to race, "Chloe…" he nearly growled, before leaping up and running off towards Trish's house.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, running after him, she'd seen this before, seen what happened to the Doctor when something happened to Angel...Chloe was just a child...

~8~

Chloe quickly moved on to the Doctor, beginning his brown coat...

~8~

Rose ran up the pathway to the house after the Doctor, the man barely pausing to try the lock before sonicing it and shoving the door to Trish's house open, storming in, startling the woman as the back of the door crashed against the wall.

"What..." Trish gapsed, but the Doctor flew up the stairs, "It's ok!" Trish shouted, following after him as Rose ran in, "I've taken all the pencils off her!"

"Doctor!" Rose called, racing after him, catching up to him just as he stormed into Chloe's room.

He moved right to the girl as she sat at her desk and tore the paper lying before her away, staring at where the TARDIS, Angel, and a good portion of himself were sketched.

"Leave me alone!" the Isolus threatened, "I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!"

"You bring her back," the Doctor slammed the picture down on the girl's desk, making her jump when he leaned into her face, his teeth bared, eyes narrowed, "Now!" he demanded.

"No," the Isolus pouted.

"Doctor..." Rose tried again, seeing all his talk about the Isolus just being a child flying out the window, only seeing the man getting more worked up.

He reached out and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders, "Don't you realize what you've done?" he snapped viciously, shaking her, "You have no idea who you've taken!" he nearly snarled, the women behind him actually shocked at the venom he was directing towards not only an alien, but a child, "She was only trying to _help_ you! That's all she ever tries to do is HELP people! Now _bring her back_!" he shook her again.

"Let go of my daughter!" Trish tried to run forward, but Rose pulled her back.

"Trish," she shook her head, "Don't..."

"Leave me alone!" the Isolus squirmed, "I love Chloe Webber!"

"Doctor," Rose turned back to him, reaching out to put a hand on his arm, "You've got to calm down..."

"Calm down?" he whirled around, straightening so fast Rose had to jump back, "Calm down!? My MATE has been taken!" he snapped.

"I know," she swallowed hard, trying to calm him, whispering gently so as not to set him off, "I know, I know she's your Mate, she's my sister and..."

The Doctor scoffed, "That doesn't even BEGIN to compare," he said darkly.

Rose looked over at the Angel on the picture and leaned forward, grabbing it, holding it up, watching as the Doctor's eyes immediately went to Angel's, "SHE needs you," she continued, "She needs you to _help_ her...so you've GOT to calm down and THINK," she stressed, "Threatening the Isolus...it won't help to get her back," her gaze flickered down at the partially drawn Doctor, "It'll just make her angry and who..." she swallowed hard, not wanting to say it, not entirely sure how he'd react, "Who knows what she'll do to the Angel in the picture."

The Doctor stared a moment longer at the picture of Angel, before reaching out to take it, his finger gently stroking the Angel-picture's hair.

Rose eyed him, making sure he wasn't about to snap, before making her way around him, to look at the Isolus in Chloe, "We'll find the pod," she promised the girl, "We'll get you home," she looked at the Doctor, "And we'll get her out," he nodded numbly, his gaze still locked on the picture. Rose turned to Trish, "Don't leave her alone, no matter what," she told the woman before taking the Doctor's hand as he put the picture down for safety, and tugged him out of the room.

"...the torchbearer getting even closer to the Olympic Stadium," the commentator on the laptop announced, "Before turning East along the embankment."

Chloe glared at her door as her mother ran out after the Doctor and Rose, before she lunged forward and grabbed the picture she'd started...

~8~

Kel smoothed down the road outside with his palm when Rose and the Doctor ran out of the house, Rose looking around, mumbling, "Heat. They travel on heat. Right?" she glanced at the Doctor who just pulled out his sonic to scan, "Heat?"

"Look at this finish!" Kel called over to her, "Smooth as a baby's bottom," she ran over, "Not a bump or a lump."

~8~

Chloe smirked, putting down her brown pencil as she heard a whoosh from outside just before her mother came back in.

"Can I have something to drink mum?" she asked, smiling at her as Trish hesitated.

~8~

Rose's eyes widened as she saw the Doctor literally vanish before her eyes, that same burnt-fuse smell hitting her, before an idea did the same and she ran over, kneeling down beside Kel, "Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?"

"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!"

"Well, when you've worked it out, put it in a big book about tarmacking, but before you do that, think back six days," she urged him, knowing it was only a matter of time before Chloe started to draw her as well.

"Six days...when I was laying this the first time round!"

"What?"

"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time."

"Six days ago...hot fresh _tar_..."

"Blended to a secret council recipe," he smiled, when Rose leapt up and ran off to his van, "Ah, ah! I don't keep it in the van!" she pulled the doors open as he got up to stride towards her, "Ay, that's a council van. Out," Rose just ignored him, climbing inside and picking up an axe, laughing with glee as she hopped out with it, "Whoa, wait, wait, wait, you just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No don't, wait, put the axe back in the van, that's my van, gimme the axe," Rose swung the axe behind her, ready to bring it down on the road much to Kel's horror, "No! Wait! No!" but it was too late, the axe smashed through the tarmac, "No! You…stop!" he started wide eyed as she hacked at the road again, "You just took a council axe, from a council van, and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!"

Rose scrambled to her knees, working through the hole, "It went for the hottest thing in the street. Your tar!" she laughed in delight, finding the pod.

"What is it?!"

"It's a spaceship! Not a council spaceship, I'm afraid."

~8~

Chloe quickly blocked her door with a chair as soon as her mother had finally gone to get her something to drink. She turned and grabbed some pencils from beneath the duvet and sat at her desk, pulling a paper towards her, drawing. The laptop showed the Olympic stadium as she started to draw just that.

~8~

Rose burst into Trish's house, "I found it!" she ran into the sitting room to see Trish standing there with a glass of milk in hand, "I don't know what to do with it, but maybe the Isolus will just hop onboard…" her eyes widened, realizing Trish was _alone_ , "Hang on, I told you _not_ to leave her!"

"My God," a commentator on TV breathed, "Er, what's going on here?"

They turned to see the crowd inside the stadium had vanished just as Kel ran in, "I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up…"

"Shut up and look!" Rose pointed at the TV.

"The crowd has vanished!" the commentator announced, "Er, um...they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er...um...right in front of my eyes. Um...it's impossible! Bob, can we join you, um, in the box?" there was silence as the camera moved to an empty box, "Bob? Not you too, Bob?"

"The stadium won't be enough. The Isolus has four _billion_ brothers and sisters."

~8~

Chloe watched the laptop in her room, "Over 80,000 spectators and 13,000 athletes..."

"Not enough," she muttered.

"Er...they're gone! All of those people. Er...it's a terrible, terrible turn of events..."

She stood up and rushed over to her shelves, grabbing an atlas and some pencils. She opened the book and left it at a diagram of the Earth before turning to her wall, blue and green pencils ready, "We won't be alone, Chloe Webber. We'll have all of them. And then we'll never feel alone. Ever again."

~8~

Rose charged up to Chloe's bedroom door, still holding the axe as Trish followed. She rattled the handle but the door wouldn't open, "Chloe?" Trish called.

"Chloe, it's Rose!" Rose yelled, "Open the door!"

~8~

Chloe ripped her magazine cuttings off the wall, leaving a blank space, and started to draw.

~8~

"We found your ship!" Rose tried, "We can send you home!"

"Chloe!?" Trish yelled.

"Open up!" Rose banged on the door to no avail. Finally she turned to Trish, "Right, stand back," Trish moved back.

~8~

Chloe got the basic outline of the planet done when a voice called from her closet, "I'm coming to hurt you..." Rose swung the axe, bringing it crashing down on the door as the wardrobe rattled. Rose just kept swinging till the wood began to splinter. Chloe drew faster, "I'm coming to hurt you..."

Rose's arm reached through the hole in the door to push the chair away, her and Trish bursting into the room, "Chloe!" Rose shouted.

Chloe was coloring in the land.

"I'm coming to hurt you...I'm coming..."

"I've gotta stop her," Rose started forward but the wardrobe door shook more.

"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out," the Isolus warned, " _We_ will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair."

Rose held out the pod, "Look, I've got your pod."

"The pod is dead."

"It…it only needs heat…"

"It needs more than heat."

"What, then?"

"I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved," Kel asked, pointing at a picture of the Doctor and Angel, "And that one!"

Rose quickly picked it up, seeing the Doctor pointing at a simple sketch of the Olympic Torch while Angel seemed to be throwing a small round object at the flames, " _She_ didn't draw that," Rose muttered, " _They_ did. But it needs _more_ than heat."

She looked at the picture helpless, when the torchbearer appeared on the laptop, "It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of _love_."

"Love…" she breathed, realizing.

"So let's have a look from the helicopter, there we go, the torch running..."

"I know how to charge up the pod," Rose turned to Trish before running out.

"...past Dame Kelly Holmes Close…"

~8~

Rose jogged down the street, towards a crowd of people cheering as the torchbearer passed by. Rose squeezed through to the front when a policeman stopped her, "Sorry, you'll have to watch from here."

"No, I've gotta get closer..." she insisted.

"No way."

"I can stop this from happening!"

~8~

"Chloe…" Chloe's father growled.

"Chloe..." Trish swallowed hard, eyeing the wardrobe.

"I'm coming to hurt you."

Trish turned to the wardrobe, crying, anxious, "My baby! You're not going to hurt her again!"

"I'm coming…"

~8~

The pod chirped as the torchbearer passed, "You felt it, didn't you?" Rose looked down at the pod, before backing out of the crowd. She brought her hands to her mouth, whispering, "Feel the love," and then tossed the pod into the air in the direction of the torch.

The torchbearer staggered as the pod fell into the flames but kept going.

Rose jumped up and down with joy, "Yes!"

~8~

Chloe nearly finished the water, when she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening, "I can go home," the Isolus breathed, "Goodbye, Chloe Webber. I love you."

Chloe's eyes rolled back as a tiny floating flower, the Isolus, emerged from her mouth and flew off through the window. Chloe blinked and looked at Trish, "Mum?"

"I'm here," Trish called.

"Mummy!" Chloe dropped the pencil and ran to her mother's side.

~8~

Just outside where the TARDIS was parked, Angel gasped, stumbling forward as she looked around, returned. But then she winced, putting a hand to her head, still a bit off from being transported like that...

' _...The door's stuck!..._ '

' _...Chloe...I'm coming..._ '

' _...Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree..._ '

"Chloe!" she gapsed, turning and running back towards Trish's, needing to make sure they were alright.

~8~

Rose threw her arms around Kel, delighted, "You did it!" he shouted, "What was it you did?"

Rose just shook her head and grabbed him, laughing.

~8~

"Chloe?" Angel called as she dashed into Trish's home, up the stairs and into Chloe's room, breathing a sigh of relief to see both her and Trish alright for now, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Trish smiled, nodded, "Thank you!"

Angel nodded as well, though her gaze was pulled towards the closet, "Come on," she called, holding out a hand, "We should go."

~8~

All the missing children materialized out of thin air, in the exact spots they disappeared. Dale ran to his mother, "Mummy!"

Rose smiled, watching as a little girl, Jane, ran to her mother too, "Oh, Jane!"

"Doctor..." Rose looked around, "Angel?" but saw no sight of either of them.

"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you darling!" Maeve said, appearing next to her, she kissed Rose's cheek, "And thank those other two for me too!" she walked off as Rose scanned the street again.

"Where are they?" she frowned, "They should _be_ here," she watched the children playing, "All the drawings have come to life…" and then looked up at Chloe's window, "That means _all_ of them…" her eyes widened as a red light filled Chloe's room, "Oh, no…" she dashed off towards the house.

~8~

Chloe and Trish walked down the stairs, hand-in-hand, so happy, Angel frowning in thought as she walked behind them, when suddenly the front door slammed shut. Trish walked over to it and tried to open it but it was stuck fast. Then the other doors in the hallway slammed shut, leaving them trapped.

"Trish!" Rose shouted as she banged on the door from outside, "Get out!"

"I can't!" Trish yelled, "The door's stuck!"

"Is the Doctor in there? Is Angel?"

"I'm here!" Angel called.

"Mummy..." Chloe whimpered as dust was shaken from the ceiling at the sound of heavy footsteps overhead.

"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you..." Chloe's father growled as the red light appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Please, dad," Chloe begged, "No more."

"Chloe..."

"Chloe, listen to me," Rose called, "It isn't real like the others. It's just energy left over by the Isolus, but _you_ can get rid of it…"

"Help us!" Trish banged on the door.

"Oh it's 'cos you're so scared that he's real! But you _can_ get rid of him, Chloe!"

"Mummy!" Chloe shouted, terrified.

"You can do it, Chloe!"

"I _can't_!" Chloe whimpered.

"Chloe...I'm coming..." the man growled.

Angel looked down at her hands, shaking as she stared at them, concentrating. This...this was different...this time...this time she NEEDED it to happen. She swallowed hard, but what would it mean if it _did_...

"I can't…" Chloe repeated, sinking to the floor, curling up.

"I'm coming..."

"Oh no, you're not!" Angel shouted, glaring at the shadow of the man that had caused the family so much pain. She stepped forward, holding her hands up, focusing, concentrating as _hard_ as she could. She frowned, seeing a small golden energy faintly wrap itself around her hands, "Get back!" she thrust her hands forward. The golden light shot out of them, striking the silhouette, forcing it back with a cry of pain. She collapsed to the ground, falling onto her hands and knees, feeling like she'd just run a marathon, panting, exhausted…

"What was that light?" Rose shouted from outside, unable to clearly see in due to the glass of the door.

"Chloe," Angel turned to look at the girl, "You need to _sing_."

"Mummy..." Chloe held out a hand for her mother.

"I'm with you, Chloe," Trish sat beside her, pulling her daughter into her arms, "You're _not_ alone. You'll _never_ be alone again."

"No, you won't," Angel agreed, struggling to push herself over to Chloe's other side, "Now, come on…Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree…"

"...merry merry king of the bush is he..." Chloe joined in, the red light starting to fade as the remnants of the last few wisps of the golden light held the silhouette back.

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be," Trish added shakily. The three of them sat there, singing away, watching as the red light began to fade completely before the mother and daughter laughed, hugging each other close.

Angel offering them a small smile before she moved to sit back on her heels, looking down at her shaking hand...till a small hand took hers.

"Thank you," Chloe smiled at her, tears in her eyes, so happy they were all safe once more.

"You're welcome," Angel swallowed, taking a deep breath.

~8~

Kel approached a desolate looking Rose, sitting outside the door, relieved the Webers were ok, but alarmed that the Doctor had yet to appear, "Maybe he's gone somewhere," Kel suggested.

"But where?" Rose shook her head.

~8~

Trish and Chloe sat by the TV in the sitting room as Angel opened the door to let Rose and Kel inside, "Just look at this!" the commentator called, "Utterly incredibly scenes at the Olympics stadium, 80,000 athletes and spectators, they disappeared, they've come back!" Trish looked up as Rose, Angel, and Kel entered, "They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly..."

"80,000 people, so where's the Doctor?" Rose looked over at Angel, "He can't be…can he?"

"I think…" Angel smiled, "We'll see him _very_ soon Rose, I promise."

"The torchbearer seems to be in a bit of trouble," the commentator announced, "We _did_ see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him...er, maybe he's injured...he's definitely in trouble," the torchbearer collapsed, "Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?"

And then a familiar arm in a brown sleeve picked up the torch.

"Doctor..." Rose beamed as Angel took her hand, both of them delighted that he was alright. They watched as the Doctor started to run with the torch.

"There's a mystery man, he's picked up the flame...we've no idea who he is...er...he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him. It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love."

~8~

The Doctor dashed up the red stairs with the torch held high, the spotlight trained on him. He'd known, as soon as he'd returned, that so had Angel, that she was safe and with the TARDIS, and he also knew that, if Rose had done what they'd hoped she would, the Isolus would need a little more help getting home. He had to make sure that the pod made it back, he was not about to let it inhabit another child, risk Angel's safety again.

He faced the crowd with a huge grin on his face, whooping, before lighting the Olympic Flame, "Go on. Join your brothers and sisters. They'll be waiting."

The crowd screamed and cheered as the Isolus, unseen by them, rose up into the air and flew off into the night.

~8~

The Doctor walked down the Dame Kelly Holmes close, hands in his pockets, when Angel stepped out of Trish's home, knowing he was back, and ran over to him. He held his arms out and scooped her up into them as they hugged each other, the Doctor spinning around as he held her. He put her down a moment later, only to pull her into a deep kiss, so relieved they were both alright.

"Got a surprise for you," Angel grinned slyly up at him as she pulled away.

"What?" he eyed her.

"Cake?" Rose asked, having crept up behind him, Angel having distracted him.

The Doctor spun around to see her holding a little cake with edible ball bearings. He laughed, taking it, "Top banana!" he took a bite as the girls watched, grinning, "Mmm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!"

Rose laughed before hugging him as well, "Ooh, I thought I'd lost you both…" she'd already hugged Angel tightly after the Doctor had reappeared.

"Oh it would take Daleks AND Cybermen to get rid of us," Angel joked.

The Doctor laughed, seeming to agree, "And definitely not on a night like this! This is a night for lost things being found," he reached out and took Angel's hand, kissing the back of it, making her laugh as he got a bit of the icing on her hand. She pulled away to wipe it off on her pants, "Come on!" they walked off down the road, the Doctor's arm around Angel as he ate the rest of the cake, Rose walking beside them.

"What now?" Angel looked up at him.

"I wanna go to the games! What we came for!"

"Go on, give us a clue, which events do we do well in?" Rose asked, looking at Angel.

"Oh no, not a peep out of me," she laughed, jokingly zipping her mouth shut, really very pleased she finally understood humans and all their expressions.

The Doctor on the other hand, "Well, I will tell you this...Papua New Guinea surprises _everyone_ in the shot put."

"...really?" Rose's mouth dropped open, "You're joking, aren't you?" she laughed, "Doctor, are you serious or are you joking?" she looked at Angel, "Is he serious or is he joking?"

"Wait and see!" the Doctor grinned.

Fireworks suddenly went off above them as the trio looked up.

"You know what," Rose sighed, "They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will."

"Never say 'never ever,'" Angel frowned, coming to a halt as she looked up.

"Nah," Rose waved her off, not seeming to notice the Doctor looking at Angel, concerned, "We'll always be ok, you two and me," she looked over at them when they didn't reply, "Don't you reckon?"

Angel was staring up at the sky, her hand now holding the Doctor's tightly, "Something's out there...something's coming."

"What?" Rose frowned.

"I'm not sure," Angel shook her head, "A storm..."

Rose glanced at them, both looking up nervously, the Doctor actually looking like he could sense it as well, and shivered.

~8~

"It was actually quite odd you know," Angel was saying as the Doctor watched from the gantry. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was speaking to him, but no, she was, in fact, talking to the TARDIS of all things. He'd noticed this new her did that a lot, spoke to the box after an adventure, telling it about whatever had taken place outside the walls.

Many people would find it odd, her, talking to a machine, but not him, he actually couldn't help but smile as he watched her. She was one of the few people, human and Time Lord alike, that he'd met who treated the TARDIS as though it was alive, which it was, and seemed to respect the old box. He knew most Time Lords only treated the TARDIS as a device meant to get them from point A to point B throughout time, but not Angel, she spoke to the box as though it could understand her, even though it couldn't reply. It was touching to see her bond to the TARDIS as pronounced as it was. She spoke as though it were a person sitting on the captain's chair, listening, which he was sure the old box was doing at that very moment.

He was fairly certain the TARDIS listened to her more than him.

And, even though he knew it had been happening LONG before now, he was completely of the opinion that it had to be because she was a ginger.

Still, NOT fair!

"It was like a...no-place," Angel continued, moving around the console as she checked some of the repairs she'd made, "You were there, of course, and the Doctor, but...it was like...we couldn't move from the spot we'd fallen in. Everything was white, blindingly so almost," she sighed, "The Doctor was too far away for me to reach though, as were you. But," she smiled, reaching out to stroke the rotor, "At least I could see that you were both alright."

"I'm glad I could see you too," he called, moving down the steps as he approached her.

She turned to see him and smiled, "I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't see you."

"I know what I'd have done," he took her hand, pulling her closer, "Exactly what I did do. Go mad with worry."

She laughed, "You're already mad, a madman with a box."

He laughed as well, pulling her even closer, hugging her, "She's just as much your box as mine now," he reminded her, his voice a whisper in her ear as his nose nuzzled the side of her temple, "So what does that make you?"

"An angel in a temple," she replied, pulling back, "Keeping her lonely god company."

His smile softened as he reached out to stroke her cheek with a finger, "You truly _are_ an angel."

"I'm really not..." she blushed.

"It's _true_ ," he told her gently, "You've given me my faith back. You've given me hope. You've healed me, healed things about me I didn't know were broken in the first place, things that had broken even before the War," he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "YOU are my angel, my guardian angel," before he leaned in and kissed her lips this time.

"Well..." she patted his chest lightly, "These new new lips certainly have been broken in haven't they?"

He laughed, "I should hope so," he beamed, his finger still stroking her cheek, "And your hands," he lifted the one he was holding to his lips, kissing it, "And your eyes..."

"My eyes?" she gave him a confused look.

He nodded, gazing into them, his eyelids drooping halfway as he just looked at her, "Your eyes Nella..." he shook his head, "Are like pools of dark hot chocolate, with these..." he squinted, "Little speckles of gold, like sprinkles floating around...they're beautiful. _You're_ beautiful."

It was a little odd as well. He'd noticed that about her last incarnation's eyes, green with small flecks of gold, and now they were brown but still with the specks of gold, in different places, but still there.

It was gorgeous though, he had to say.

She blushed again, looking down a moment before back at him, "I think your smile is beautiful," he beamed at her, smiling widely as she nodded, "There it is! I love that grin."

"And I love your eyes."

She giggled a moment, "You've made me want hot chocolate now."

"Well then," he laughed, stepping back and tugging her along, "Who am I to deny you that treat?"

She laughed heartily as he pulled her towards the gantry and up to the halls, eager to get her the hot chocolate she craved.

Truly, he really _would_ give her anything, all she had to do was just look at him and he could never say no to her.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daleks AND Cybermen you say? Hmmm...seems like Angel's 'sensations' are getting strong enough where she doesn't even realize she's gotten them...that'll be...interesting :)
> 
> How many of you loved the little Oncoming Storm popping up here? I know we only got to see a little of him, but I didn't want to completely traumatize Chloe lol. Still, I love it when he appears, especially when Angel's in danger, I just love writing him that frantic because we rarely ever see him REALLY lose control :)
> 
> And I will say this, it's such an ordinary little thing, hot chocolate...but it will actually become VERY important later on. You're probably staring at the screen going, 'really? Hot chocolate? How's THAT important?' But I guess we'll find out :)


	40. Army of Ghosts: The Ghost Shift

_"Planet Earth…" Rose spoke as she stood on a beach, looking out at the waves, "This is where I was born. And this is where I died. For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Not ever. And then I met a man, called the Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took me away from home in his magical machine. And we met a woman just like him called the Angel. And she really was just that, protected me from every danger. They showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end…"_

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Rose stood by the TARDIS on a rocky alien planet, looking out at the sunset as flying manta rays soared past overhead. Angel laughed as three small baby aliens floated down to them, drifting past, one lazily gliding down to land on her hand as she held it out before it fluttered off, back to its parents.

"How long are you gonna stay with us?" the Doctor asked Rose, his arm around Angel's waist as the Time Lady leaned on him, both of them enjoying the view and the moment.

Rose smiled, "Oh forever!"

"I'm glad," Angel nodded, reaching out to take Rose's hand, squeezing it as they continued to watch the sunset, her head resting on the Doctor's shoulder as she sighed, content, smiling as he dropped a kiss onto her hair.

~8~

_"That's what I thought," Rose continued as tears appeared in her eyes, "But then came the army of ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the war. And that's when it all ended. The Doctor's machine couldn't help. Angel couldn't save me this time. This...this is the story of how I died."_

~8~

The TARDIS appeared at the edge of a small park area a short ways away from the Powell Estate where Rose lived, the children playing in it not seeming to notice the random blue box appear, too focused on their games. The doors opened and Rose, a large, red rucksack on her back, stepped out, followed by the Doctor and Angel. They headed off towards the Powell Estate, Angel and the Doctor hand-in-hand as Rose smiled beside them.

Her smile turned into a beam when the Doctor pulled Angel closer, moving his arm around her waist instead of holding her hand, placing a gentle kiss to the woman's temple, making her smile as well. She always felt happy when she saw them truly happy, they deserved it, more than anyone.

~8~

Jackie was just finishing up her wash when she heard Rose calling her from outside the front door, "Mum, it's us! We're ba-ack!"

Jackie quickly hurried out and over to the door when the trio stepped in, "Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone! You never use it!"

"Shut up, come here!" Rose laughed as she hugged her mother tightly.

"Oh, I love you!"

"I love _you_!"

"I love you so MUCH!" Jackie added as the Doctor tried to squeeze past them, but Jackie spotted him, "Oh no you don't. Come here!" she grabbed him, pulling him towards her and peppered his face with kisses despite his struggles to pull away, "Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!"

"Just…just…just put me down!" he tried to squirm out of her hold but damned if that woman didn't have a vice grip.

"Yes, you are!" she kissed him again and noticed Angel, "And Angie!" she quickly pulled Angel to her to hug her tightly as well, nearly throwing her off balance as she rocked her back and forth in the hug.

She'd developed a soft spot for the Time Lady, ever since she'd helped patch up her friendship with Elton and Ursula. The poor boy truly _had_ deserved to meet the Doctor and Angel, she felt terrible for not listening to his reasons back then, having lost his mother while the Doctor and Angel tried to save her. She _should_ have listened, should have _helped_ , but she'd just...been so _hurt_ and _angry_...

But then, when Angel had gotten her to listen and Elton had explained, they'd all gone to sit inside, the Time Lords and Rose telling the humans about a few of their adventures. They'd even told her about how they'd tried to save her husband, how Rose had saved him and how they'd tried to keep him alive despite the near end of the world that had been caused by it. She didn't blame them that he was still gone. Sitting there, listening to all that they had done for the Earth, she could see why Rose was so keen to protect them. Before, she had refused to tell Elton about them to protect them for Rose, because they meant so much to her daughter, but now...now she'd protect them because of who they were.

Remarkable.

And Angel was just so sweet and so cute! The last her even more than this one, she'd always said the darndest things, always got a laugh out of her, and she was just so _kind_. This new her, well, she could actually understand her more than before, and she was still just so nice. That girl still had that warm care about her that relieved, somewhat, her anxieties of Rose travelling with them. Angel...if she really _was_ psychic as Rose had mentioned once...then Rose would be safe with her. And since the woman rarely ever left the Doctor's side, Rose would be doubly safe.

And that was what mattered to her.

Jackie nodded, patting Angel's cheeks before suddenly leaving her to go after Rose in the sitting room.

The Doctor grimaced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Alright there?" Angel laughed at his expression.

"Blech," he made a face.

"Here let me help," she walked over to him, gently pulling him down by his tie and kissing him as well. She started to smile, feeling him grinning into the kiss, both of them actually unable to continue they were smiling so much as they pulled away.

The Doctor beamed, "MUCH better," he winked at her, putting an arm around her shoulders before they joined Rose and Jackie.

"I've got LOADS of washing for ya!" Rose grinned, tossing her rucksack into her mother's arms, "And, I got you this!" she held up a tiny, ornate bottle, "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar…"

"Epeer," Angel called.

"Epeer," Rose nodded, "It's made of um..." she turned back to the Doctor, "What's it called?"

"Bezoolium," he replied as he flipped through a magazine.

"Bezoolium," Rose grinned, "When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain, when it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!"

"I've got a surprise for you and all," Jackie added, not even looking at the little bottle.

"Oh, I get her bezoolium, she doesn't even say 'thanks.'"

"Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past! Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know."

"Oh go on, guess!"

"No, I hate guessing. Just tell me."

"It's your granddad! Granddad Prentice. He's on his way. Any minute!" Rose gaped at her, "Right, cup of tea!" she disappeared into the kitchen as Rose stared after her.

"Something wrong Rose?" Angel asked as she and the Doctor stepped over to her, reaching out to place a hand on Rose's shoulder, seeing her startled look.

"She's gone mad," Rose murmured.

"Tell me something new," the Doctor remarked, staring after Jackie as well.

"Granddad Prentice, that's her dad," Rose explained, "But he died like, ten years ago. Oh my God. She's _lost_ it," she quickly made her way to the kitchen, "Mum?" she stepped into it as Angel and the Doctor stood in the doorway, "What you just said about granddad..."

"Any second now," Jackie nodded.

"But...he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?"

"Course I do!" Jackie laughed.

"...then how can he come _back_?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" she checked her watch, "Ten past. Here he comes."

And right before their eyes a figure stepped out of the wall, into the middle of the kitchen, featureless, like a shadow with a human form. It walked right past them to stand beside Jackie.

"Here we are, then!" the trio stared, "Dad...say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?"

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Rose burst out of a side door to the block of flats that made up the Estate, stopping short to look around, "They're _everywhere_!" the Doctor looked around, confused.

And sure enough there were ghosts literally everywhere, standing around like regular people, boys playing games by them, everyone just carrying on like normal.

"Doctor, look out!" Rose suddenly shouted.

He turned around as a ghost walked right through him. He spun over to Angel, "Did you sense it?"

She shook her head, "It's like they're not even there," she blinked, "If I wasn't seeing them…I'd say they didn't exist…"

"They haven't got long," Jackie walked over, "Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade."

"What do you mean, SHIFT?" the Doctor looked at her, "Since when did _ghosts_ have _shifts_? Since when did _shifts_ have _ghosts_? What's going on?"

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?"

"But no one's running or screaming or freaking out or…"

"Why should we?" Jackie checked her watch, "Here we go. Twelve minutes past."

Angel frowned, turning around and, instead of watching the ghosts, looked up at the sky, just barely catching sight of a large tower over the rooftops.

~8~

In a gleaming white room, two scientists each pulled a lever down on one side, the lights dimming as a woman in a black dress and black boots pulled off her sunglasses, smirking.

~8~

The ghosts slowly disappeared as the Doctor looked even more confused.

~8~

The sound of engines in the room died down as the levers were pulled completely to the floor. The woman looked around, addressing her staff, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to announce...we've just measured the ghost energy at _five thousand_ _gigawatts_. Give yourselves a round of applause," she started clapping.

~8~

The Doctor sat on the floor of Jackie's sitting room, staring at the TV, while Rose and Jackie sat on the sofa, Angel leaning against the table behind him, her elbow resting on it, her legs tucked beneath her, as he flipped through channel after channel about the ghosts, "On today's _Ghostwatch_ , claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge…" the footage cut to Westminster Bridge, small shadows wandering around, "It's almost like a military display..."

"What the hell's going on?" the Doctor frowned.

"And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts," a weatherman announced, "From London, through the North and up into Scotland…"

"So basically, Eileen," Trisha Goddard said, "What you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost."

"He's MY ghost and I love him, 24/7!" Eileen shouted tearfully…

"Well, no one needs me anymore!" Derek Acorah called…

"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered...Ectoshine!" a housewife advertised…

"Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est…" the footage cut to ghosts around the Eiffel Tower…

And ghosts around the Taj Mahal…

"Oh, yes!" Jackie cheered as three excited Japanese girls showed off their ghost t-shirts.

"It's all over the world?" Angel frowned, that was _never_ a good thing. It meant the ghosts were everywhere, whatever they were, the humans were surrounded and they didn't even realize it.

Another channel came up of Eastenders, with Peggy Mitchell behind the bar of the Vic, shouting at a ghost, "Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you HAVE come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky, and vodka. So, you heard me, GET OUT!"

Angel reached forward and turned off the TV, not wanting to see any more. She was getting that sinking feeling again, like...like the other boot was about to fall. Like something terrible was coming and, seeing all those humans so happy about the ghosts, so pleased, so calm, so... _unconcerned_...she couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to come back and bite them all.

The ghosts weren't doing anything, that was true, but...they were just... _there_. The humans would accept them into their homes, of course they would, they were the greatest adopters. Give the ghosts enough time, give them enough passivity to not be seen as a threat, and the humans wouldn't think twice about them.

And that was their most dangerous weakness, they never saw a slow invasion coming.

"When did it start?" the Doctor looked at Jackie, pulling Angel from her thoughts.

"Well first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down…" Jackie began.

"No, I mean worldwide," the Doctor cut in as Rose smirked.

"Oh!" Jackie smiled, "That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were, ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking...no sign of YOU two, thank you very much..."

Angel winced a bit, immediately feeling guilty about that. There had been a point about two months ago when the Doctor and her had ended up having their brains switched, which had, admittedly, been _quite_ the experience. She'd never been a man before, it was...different. But, she'd much rather be a woman. It had been rather amusing though, to see the Doctor trying to get used to being a woman for the time. Rose hadn't stopped laughing that entire trip...she was fairly certain the TARDIS might have filmed it for the portions that they spent inside the walls of the old box. She'd have to check the mainframe later. They had learned something on that trip though...besides the fact that they should _not_ even _attempt_ to try and work out what was in the Doctor's pockets or why or how it had gotten there...they had learned that, without having _her_ in _her_ body, her feelings just...didn't work, not for her in his body, not for him in hers. There was just something about having HER mind in HER body that allowed her sensations to manifest.

She had to admit though, that brief time where she COULDN'T sense anything, had no feelings at all about the future...it made her realize something. She _missed_ it. No matter how much her new body seemed hesitant to get not just her stronger feelings, like her 'visions' of the future, but even knowing the Vortex was lying in wait within her, for what or why she still didn't know, she DID appreciate the fact that they allowed her to help others. Her feelings helped save people, lead others to safety, and...the Vortex COULD be a powerful means of protection...but the fact that it could also mean destruction made her even more hesitant. Still, she had come out of that determined to try and work past whatever hesitations she might have about her 'feelings' and 'visions' at least.

"Then it sort of sank in," Jackie smiled, "Took us time to realize that...we're lucky."

"What makes you think it's granddad?" Rose frowned.

"Just _feels_ like him," Jackie replied wistfully, "There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?"

"I wish I could, mum, but I can't."

"You've got to make an _effort_. You've got to WANT it, sweetheart."

"And...the more you want it, the stronger it gets?" Angel asked, frowning.

"Sort of, yeah."

"Like a psychic link," the Doctor realized, "Course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're _wishing_ him _into_ existence. The ghosts are _using_ that to pull themselves in."

"You're spoiling it."

"We're so sorry, Jackie," Angel reached out to put a hand on the woman's arm in comfort, "But we can't smell anything, not cigarettes. Whatever it is, it's just a memory."

"But if they're not ghosts, what _are_ they, then?" Rose frowned.

"Yeah, but they're human!" Jackie agreed, "You can see them, they LOOK human!"

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people."

"No, they're not…" Angel remarked, they looked at her, "I can't sense them. At all. If they were remnants of people, I should be able to sense _that_ , sense them there…" she trailed, frowning more, "IF they're from this word…but…I don't think they are…"

The Doctor looked thoughtful, "It could be that they're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot," he quickly stood up, pulling Angel up as well.

~8~

"So, what've we got?" the woman in charge stepped up to a young black woman's desk, "Any sign of that power loss?"

The young woman smiled, "There's no problems. Must've been a glitch."

"Rajesh?" she called into her comm..

~8~

Rajesh, a middle aged Indian man, looked up from where he sat at his desk, his feet up, reading a book, "You got anything?" she continued.

"It's so busy down here, I'm on Sudoku book 509," he replied glumly.

"Well, we just had a great Ghost Shift."

"I know," he sighed, "We had...nothing," he put the book down and pulled off his glasses, standing, "Did they tell you?" he adjusted a control panel, "RND came up with a new spectrometer yesterday. Barged in here, all full of themselves..." he walked across the large chamber, checking on instruments as he went, "Said they could detect the heat off a single protozoa through half a mile of steel."

"And what did they find?"

"Nothing," he scoffed, "It gave them _nothing_. Same as ever. The machines keep saying the sphere can't exist. But there it is," he looked up at a large sphere suspended in midair at the end of the chamber, bronze in color with a step ladder on a small platform just below it.

"Anything we can do?"

"No, I'm alright. It's just...it gets into your head, this thing. Like it's...staring at you."

She laughed, "Alright, we'll catch up later. Thanks, Raj."

"Yeah," he turned off the comm. and climbed up the ladder to reach out to the bottom of the sphere. He'd gotten only inches away from it before he felt something willing him not to touch it. He strained against it, trying to break through but his hand was thrown aside. He gave up and climbed back down, defeated.

~8~

"Matt?" the woman walked over to a young man at a desk, "Send Rajesh something, would you? He's going _mad_ down there. _Not_ alcohol," and with that she turned and walked back to her office.

A staff member approached the black woman and handed her a printout of some kind. She smiled, taking it and placing it on file, before glancing over at another young man sitting at the computer across the room from her.

" _god i'm bored,_ " she sent him via instant messaging.

The man's computer bleeped and he looked over at her, smiling, before replying, " _me too yawn_ "

" _fancy a coffee?_ "

" _thought u'd never ask :-)_ "

She grinned as the man stood up and approached their boss, "Yvonne?" he asked as she turned to him, "I'm gonna double check the stats...just in case."

"Sure," she nodded.

He left and a moment later the woman stood up, "Yvonne, I'm gonna go and cross reference the levels with the Sphere."

"Ok, fine," Yvonne nodded, turning back to the two staff she was talking to. She waited till the woman left before smirking, "And they think we haven't noticed," they laughed and continued on their tasks.

~8~

The duo walked down a deserted hall, a portion of it looking like it was being revamped, with plastic curtains closing off part of it, "Come on...it'll be alright down here," he said, "Just two minutes."

"This is out of bounds," she replied uneasily.

"Yeah...and that's the point! It's completely safe. They're just building new offices."

"What about the workmen?"

"They must be allocated somewhere else."

"It's not worth it for a snog."

He laughed, "It is," he tried to pull her through the curtains, "Come on..."

She was reluctant to go in so he let go of her hand and disappeared through the curtains alone. Two workmen walked by, carrying a ladder as she waved causally at them, "Gareth?" she hissed through the curtains, trying to look through them, "Now don't be daft, where've you gone?"

There was no reply.

"Gareth? Look, I'm gonna head back, I'm seeing you tonight anyway...Gareth?" she hesitated a moment, before walking through the curtains, "I'm gonna go back to work."

No reply.

She walked in further, pushing the curtains aside, "This is it...I'm going...see ya..." she frowned, now frightened, "Now stop it, Gareth! I'm not kidding, just stop it!" she spotted a shadowy figure on the other side of a curtain and headed towards it, "Sorry, I'm just looking for my friend...did anyone come down here?"

Still no reply.

She pulled the curtain aside to reveal a Cyberman! It reached out to her as she screamed...

~8~

Rose stepped into the TARDIS with a newspaper, heading over to where Angel was kneeling beside the grilling, watching the Doctor below to make sure he wasn't tearing out needed parts of the TARDIS, and handed it to her, "According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds."

Angel frowned and looked down at the paper as Rose peered down at the Doctor.

"Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing."

The Doctor sprang up suddenly from underneath the grilling, bopping his head as the Ghostbusters tune played, holding an odd-looking, gun-like device in one hand, "Who you gonna call?"

"Ghostbusters!" Rose cheered.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts," he added.

"Who?" Angel laughed, watching them.

Rose just shook her head as he climbed out from the grilling, the two of them following him outside where Jackie was waiting. He quickly got to work, setting up three cone devices in a triangle shape.

"When's the next shift?" Angel asked Jackie.

"Quarter to," she looked at her watch before looking at the Doctor, "But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?"

"Triangulates their point of origin," the Doctor replied.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked thoughtfully.

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head as Rose nodded, agreeing, "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper."

"You're always doing this," Jackie muttered, cross, "Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" he ignored her, "Just think of it, though...all the people we've lost, our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The Doctor paused and looked at her, "I think it's horrific."

Jackie looked a bit shocked that he would say such a thing.

"Rose, could you give me a hand in here?" Angel smiled, trying to diffuse the situation, as she took a cable from the Doctor and led it back into the TARIDS, Rose following. She plugged the end into the console as Jackie stepped inside, watching the two of them getting to work at the controls, "Ok," she smiled again, turning to Rose and positioning her against the console, "As soon as the Doctor activates whatever it is he's doing," Rose laughed at that, "If that line here," she pointed at the monitor, "Turns red, then you need to press that button there," she pointed at one, explaining it slowly, making sure that Rose understood.

She was fairly certain Rose would though, she'd been taking time here and there to show Rose how to operate the TARDIS, in case they ever needed help. She'd actually promised herself, ever since she'd started to do so with Mickey, that she'd make sure each companion, whether hers or the Doctor's, knew how to pilot the TARDIS...or at least knew enough to help out from time to time. Knowing what buttons or knobs or levers not to push or twist or pull was the first step. Which was why she flat out _refused_ to let the Doctor help. And not even his kisses could persuade her differently.

Which was why she'd volunteered to show Rose the buttons because, knowing the Doctor, he'd end up saying it a breakneck speed, point to the wrong button, and they'd all die.

"If it doesn't stop..." Angel continued, holding out the Doctor's sonic that he'd tossed her for Rose to take, "It's set for 15B. You just have to hold it against this port," she guided Rose's hand to it, "For eight seconds and then stop."

"15B, port, eight seconds," Rose nodded.

Angel grinned, "Brilliant!" Rose smiled, "If the line turns blue though," she nodded back at the monitor, "You'll have to activate the deep scan on the left by..."

"Hang on a minute," Rose cut in as Angel moved to show her what button, "I know..." she leaned over and pointed, "It's that one."

"Close," Angel laughed.

"That one?" Rose shifted to another button.

"That one'll kill us," she said, only half-joking.

Rose laughed and pointed to another one, "Eh...that one."

"Perfect," Angel nodded, before looking over at Jackie, "Two minutes to go Jackie?"

Jackie looked at her watch and nodded, shifting uncomfortably, not too sure how she felt with Rose learning how to fly the box...it was just so...odd inside. Alien. And Rose HAD spent so much time in it and around the Time Lords...she eyed her daughter, she'd been away for so long...what did that make her now?

~8~

Yvonne emerged from her office to address her staff, "Two minutes to the next shift. Let's make it a good one people," Gareth and the young woman entered, "Come on, you two."

"I'm sorry we're late," the woman replied primly.

"Save it 'til later," Yvonne rolled her eyes.

"Sorry we're late," Gareth repeated, moving past as well.

"And powering up!" Yvonne called to the room. The scientist pulled the levers upwards, beginning the shift. Both Gareth and the young woman turned to their computers, now with an extra ear-pod stuck in their ears, their faces blank.

~8~

Rose plunged the sonic into the console port at the same time as the Doctor pressed the device he was holding onto one of the cones, Rose watching through the monitor as Angel, standing beside him, held a small control box, "What's the line doing?" the Doctor shouted.

"It's alright, it's holding!" Rose called back.

"You even look like them," Jackie murmured, having been observing her daughter for a while now.

"How d'you mean?" Rose smiled, "I s'pose I do, yeah."

"You've changed so much," Jackie shook her head sadly.

"For the better…"

"I s'pose," Jackie shrugged.

Rose turned to her, "Mum, I used to work in a SHOP."

" _I've_ worked in shops," Jackie said defensively, "What's wrong with _that_?"

"No, I didn't mean _that_ …"

"I _know_ what you meant. What happens when I'm gone?"

"Don't talk like that!"

"No, but really. When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?"

"I don't know…"

"Do you think you'll _ever_ settle down?"

"The Doctor and Angel never will, so I can't. I'll just...keep on travelling."

"And you'll keep on _changing_. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman...walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even _human_..."

Rose looked at her mother, stunned and shocked and a little bit hurt at her words, when Angel called, "Rose? Everything alright?"

"The scanner's working, it says 'delta one six,'" Rose turned, shouting back, the moment broken.

~8~

The Doctor stood back, beside Angel, facing the triangle, "Come on you beauty!" he laughed, practically buzzing with excitement, reaching out to take her hand, squeezing it as he half-hopped in place.

~8~

The scientists pulled the levers even further up, causing the light to brighten, magnifying the stark whiteness of the room.

Yvonne sauntered forward, pulling on her sunglasses, "And...we're into Ghost Shift."

"Online," the computer announced.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel watched as a ghost appeared right in the middle of the triangle, the cones springing to life, creating blue electricity, connecting over the top of the ghost, surrounding it. Jackie and Rose looked on, watching from the TARDIS monitor. The Doctor looked at Angel as she frowned, "What is it?"

She blinked, "It's blurry…but not the _shape_ , I mean _around_ it…the _space_ around it makes me feel…" she shook her head, no matter how much she might appreciate her 'feelings' at times they were bloody infuriating when she couldn't put to words what exactly she was feeling, "It's just...wrong."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of 3D specs to look at the ghost through, "Oh yes…" he muttered, seeing it.

Angel adjusted the setting on the control box, a green light blipping as…

~8~

An alarm went off, startling Yvonne.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh...we're getting near the end now :( So sad! I have to say, I really (in the reality of the show) can't stand Rose. But I think I might actually miss the Rose in this story lol. 
> 
> I loved that little moment where Angel tugged the Doctor down by his tie to kiss him, I think I might just make that her 'thing' for this incarnation lol :)
> 
> And, can I just say, I'm really excited for these two episodes because...we get Mickey! Yay! I'm really excited for the reunion between Angel and her companion, between Mickey and his...regenerated pilot lol. That'll be interesting :) It's weird, at first, I wasn't really a big Mickey fan. He was sort of there and I felt bad for him for how Rose treated him, but I didn't think too much on him. But then, writing him with Angel, I seriously LOVE Mickey because I really feel like I got to make him grow a little bit more by having him be Angel's companion. In that sense...I cannot wait till we get to Rory.
> 
> I'm definitely going to try and sneak some foreshadowing into some chapters. Like this one, it's got some foreshadowing for Series 7. Can you spot it?


	41. Army of Ghosts: Torchwood

Yvonne, shook herself out of her shock and hurried over to Matt's side, looking at the computer, "What've we got?"

"Something's interfering with the ghost field," he replied as she looked over his shoulder, watching as he tracked it.

"Location?"

"It's close...it's within the City."

~8~

Angel continued to adjust the knob, going off the Doctor's silent instructions as the ghost twisted and turned.

The Doctor laughed, "Don't like that much, do you?" he frowned, "Who are you? Where are you coming from? WHOA!" Angel pulled him back just before the ghost lashed out at him, "That's more _like_ it! Not so friendly NOW, are you?"

~8~

"Close it down," Yvonne cried urgently, "Close it down!" the scientists rushed to obey, pulling the levers down till they were off completely.

"Offline," the computer announced.

~8~

The ghost jolted and jerked within the triangle, until it suddenly disappeared.

"We need to go," Angel said suddenly, unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched, "Now!" they ran forward and quickly gathered up the equipment.

While he'd love to stay out there, look at the energy readings while they were fresh, maybe even see if the ghost left anything behind this time, he knew enough to trust her instincts. When she said something was bad, that they should leave or go, he listened. She hadn't been wrong yet, something which he thought was incredible given how new her feelings and sensations were to her in general. Sure, she'd had them all her life, but she'd only JUST started to accept them and try to understand them since she'd met him. That hadn't been all that long given how old she was in relation to how long she'd been trying.

~8~

"It was a very specific excitation of the ghost field, and that makes it easy to pinpoint," Matt reported as Yvonne stepped back over to him. He quickly typed away at the computer, zooming in from the globe to the UK to London, "Almost there...South London…South East 15…it's a council estate. The Powell Estate. SU15 7GO. It was a public area."

"Can we patch into the CCTV network?" Yvonne asked.

"Doing it now," he nodded

~8~

The Doctor and Angel disappeared inside the TARDIS, Angel glancing back for only a moment, seeing a security camera in the distance _just_ beginning to turn towards them before she stepped in and shut the door behind her.

~8~

Yvonne and Matt watched as the camera moved, "Here we go. We've got a camera within fifty yards."

Their eyes widened as the blue police telephone box they all knew was called a TARDIS was brought slowly into frame, "...oh my God," Yvonne breathed.

"Is it them!?" Matt gaped, zooming in closer.

"It's them."

~8~

The Doctor dashed to the railing of the TARDIS, tossing his coat over it as Angel set up the equipment by the edge of the door, glancing up at the gantry and starting to smile as she ran to join him.

"We said so!" the Doctor cheered, excited, "Those ghosts have been FORCED into existence for one specific point! And we can track down the source. Allons-y!" he pushed up a lever and the TARDIS shook, making them all fall to the ground as the rotor rose and fell.

~8~

Yvonne and Matt watched in awe as the TARDIS disappeared, both of them imagining the funny wheezing noise that was said to accompany it. Yvonne stood up and backed away, "They're coming," she said, breathless, before laughing and hurrying out of the room, not noticing the dark looks Gareth and the young woman exchanged. She ran down the hallway, calling into the comm., "Rajesh. It's THEM!"

~8~

Rajesh ran up the first few steps to the sphere, staring up at it, triumphant, " _Now_ we've got you."

~8~

Angel fiddled with the knobs of the console, setting the course as the Doctor nattered away, "I like that. 'Allons-y.' I should say 'Allons-y' more often. 'Allons-y.' Watch out, Rose Tyler allons-y! Angel, quick, allons-y! And THEN, it would be _really_ brilliant if I met someone called Alonzo. Because then I could say, 'Allons-y, Alonzo!' every time!" he stopped before Rose, seeing her staring at him with a strange smile while Angel just shook her head at him, "You're staring at me."

"My mum's still onboard," Rose said quietly.

They looked over to see Jackie sitting up on the gantry, her legs dangling off it, swinging, "If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you."

She folded her arms across her chest as the Doctor stared up at her, _horrified_ , Rose smirking, and Angel laughing…and Angel laughing?

He rounded on her, "Did you _know_ she was still here before we left?"

"Oh yes," she nodded.

"And you didn't tell me!?"

"And miss that expression?" she pointed at his face, tapping him on the nose, "Never!" she laughed as the Doctor just shook his head, "And besides, I really like Jackie," Jackie beamed at that, "She makes wonderful tea."

He stuck out his tongue, "It's alright..."

She poked him in the stomach, "Her tea's what saved you when you regenerated."

"No," he smiled at her, reaching out to pull her to him, "YOU saved me when I regenerated."

Her smile faded at the words, "You regenerated _because_ you saved _me_."

"Hey," he said softly, lifting her chin to look into her eyes, "I would give ALL my lives for you."

"Please don't," she whispered, "I can barely stand the thought that you at least regenerated, please don't talk about dying forever."

He nodded, knowing she truly hated death, the deaths that were so permanent and final, deaths that were inescapable. Especially after having lost all their people, their friends, their families, to lose each other in that way...would be unbearable. He didn't like thinking about that either.

"Well then," he whispered in her ear, "It's a good thing I've got a precog with me to keep me out of danger, eh?"

She let out a little laugh, nodding as she rested her head against his chest a moment, "We'll take care of each other," she murmured, recalling their promise when Rose's father had died.

"And I'll take care of the both of you," Rose added, moving to hug them too, making them laugh, "Now!" she cheered, "Let's find out about the ghosts yeah?"

"Yeah," Angel nodded, her and the Doctor getting back to piloting.

~8~

The TARDIS materialized in a storage area of a base, soldiers immediately bursting through the doors and aiming their guns at the box as the Doctor, Angel, Rose, and Jackie watched on the monitor, "Oh, well there goes the advantage of surprise," the Doctor remarked, "Still! Cuts to the chase. Stay in here," he told Rose, "Look after Jackie."

" _Stay_ in the TARDIS Rose," Angel called, heading to the doors with the Doctor, "No matter what."

"I'm _not_ looking after my _mum_!" Rose shouted as she trailed after them.

"Well, you _brought_ her!" the Doctor countered.

"I was _kidnapped_!" Jackie cried, indignant.

Rose shoved past the Doctor and Angel, just as they reached the doorway, to block it, "They've got _guns_."

"And we haven't," he nodded, already knowing the humans wouldn't use the guns, not many people were ordered to shoot on sight, more to take someone in for questioning, and he wasn't going to let them hurt Angel either way, "Which makes us the better people, don't you think?" he looked at Angel.

"I think so," she nodded, she still didn't have the best outlook about guns. There was just...too much violence associated with them.

"There you go, see?" he smiled, turning to catch Rose around the waist and move her out of the way, "They can shoot us dead, but the moral high-ground is ours."

"Don't worry Rose, they _won't_ shoot us," Angel told her, reassuring the Doctor in the process, "They need us alive."

"What for?" Rose frowned, whenever someone else needed you alive it was usually because you could do something for them, something they needed. Usually, it never ended well.

Angel blinked, as though _just_ realizing she'd said that, "You know...I have no idea. But...I think they might actually need _the Doctor_..."

"Why me?" he frowned, not liking how she hadn't included herself in that. He hoped it didn't mean whoever was out there was going to separate them.

She smiled, hearing those thoughts, their mental walls were getting stronger, but the Doctor tended to leave most doors open, and took his hand, "I really don't know," she told him, squeezing his hand, "Perhaps they need a doctor?"

He shrugged, "Well let's find out shall we?" he grinned, squeezing her hand in return and stepping out the doors with her. They quickly raised their hands as the soldiers released the safety catches on their guns.

"Oh!" Yvonne shouted, rushing into the room and hurrying over to them, "Oh, how marvelous," she clapped, excited, "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!" the soldiers soon followed suit, applauding them.

The Doctor and Angel glanced at each other, not quite sure what to make of that particular reception.

"Um…thanks?" the Doctor asked as he lowered his arms.

"Nice to meet you?" Angel supplied, still surprised. Even being a precog, that _wasn't_ what she was expecting when guns got involved.

"I'm...the Doctor. And this is Angel…"

Which set off another round of clapping.

"Oh, I should say!" Yvonne beamed, "Hurray!"

"You know who we are?" Angel frowned, something about this not sitting right with her.

"Well of course we do. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you two, none of us would BE here. The Doctor AND the Angel AND _the TARDIS_!" overcome, she started clapping again...until the Doctor gestured for silence.

"And...and...and you are?" he asked her.

"Oh, plenty of time for that," she waved him off, "But according to the records, you two are _not_ ones for travelling alone. The Doctor, his Mate, and their companions. That's the pattern isn't it, right? Though _your_ companion disappeared recently, didn't he?" she eyed Angel, both her and the Doctor staring at her, a bit alarmed at her knowledge, "There's no point hiding anything. Not from _us_ ," she smiled, "So where is yours Doctor?"

' _Jackie,_ ' Angel said quietly to him in his mind.

' _What?_ ' he glanced at her.

' _DON'T show them Rose. Bring Jackie instead._ '

' _Why?_ '

' _Rose will be safer in the TARDIS,_ ' was all she could give him, he could hear the confusion in her mental voice, she didn't know why she was saying it, why it was important for Rose to stay there, but she just knew that it was and he was not about to disagree with her, not about something as serious as a companion's safety.

"...yes!" the Doctor turned back to Yvonne, "Sorry. Good point. She's just...a bit shy, that's all," he opened the TARDIS door just a tiny bit and felt around for Jackie, pulling her out, "But here she is, Rose Tyler," the Doctor glanced at Jackie, "Hmm. She's NOT the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that," he mimed talking which made Jackie glare at him, "And just last week, she stared into the Heart of the Time Vortex and aged 57 years. But she'll do."

"I'm 40!" Jackie hissed, glaring.

"Deluded," the Doctor sighed sadly, "Bless."

"But she IS 40," Angel reminded him quietly.

"I'll have to trade her in then," the Doctor shrugged.

"Why?" Angel frowned, "Because she's 40? I'm almost 800...are you going to trade me i..."

She was cut off suddenly by the Doctor kissing her, "YOU," he looked at her pointedly when he pulled away, just a bit breathless, "Are never _ever_ leaving my side," he smiled, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it, "800, 8 thousand, or 8 million years old, you'll still be my lovely, beautiful, magnificent Mate that I wouldn't give up for the _Universe_."

She smiled at that, blushing, "Thanks."

He winked at her before looking at Yvonne, "But really, do you need anyone?" he nodded at Jackie, "She's very good at tea. Well, _I_ say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I _say_ not bad...anyway! Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."

Yvonne turned to lead the way as the Doctor and Angel followed, Angel shaking her head at the Doctor as Jackie glared, "I'll show _you_ where my ankle's going…" Jackie whispered.

~8~

Yvonne led them through a doorway and down a corridor, "It was only a matter of time until you found us," she remarked, "And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor, Angel..." she pushed a door open to a huge factory floor full of alien artifacts and scientists working on them, "Welcome...to Torchwood."

"That's a Jathar Sunglider," the Doctor stared at the massive ship floating near the ceiling.

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago."

"What, did it crash?"

"No," Angel eyed it, her stomach starting to twist, "It was shot down."

"That's right," Yvonne nodded as the Doctor's eyes widened, "It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare."

Angel blinked and looked at her, "The Sycorax, those beams of light...was that you?"

"That it was," Yvonne smirked, "Now if you'd like to come with me..."

Angel frowned, reaching out to take the Doctor's hand, that feeling settling in the pit of her stomach growing with each moment, with each word out of the woman's mouth. They should leave, they should run, she could _feel_ it, this place wasn't right, it wasn't _good_. But...there was an equally powerful sensation that they HAD to stay, that so much _more_ was at stake than just their safety, that they had to _wait_ , find out, for the humans. Something was going on, something was going to happen, and the humans would NEED them. They could not be abandoned now.

"The Torchwood Institute has a motto," Yvonne continued, leading them to a different section of the floor, "'If it's alien, it's ours.' Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."

"For the good of the what?" Jackie frowned.

"The British Empire."

"There ISN'T a British Empire."

"Not _yet_ ," Yvonne smirked, "Ah, excuse me..." she took a weapon a soldier had handed her and held it up, "Now, if you wouldn't mind...do you recognize this, Doctor?"

"That's a particle gun," the Doctor looked at it, brow furrowed.

"Good, isn't it?" Yvonne smiled, pulling it back as Jackie tried to touch it, "Took us _eight years_ to get it to work..."

"But it's the 21st century," Angel shook her head, "You shouldn't even know what a particle gun is..."

"We must defend our border against the alien," Yvonne said simply, handing it back to the soldier, "Thank you...Sebastian, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.

"Thank you, Sebastian," she turned back to the trio, "I think it's VERY important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very _modern_ organization. People skills. That's what it's all about these days," she smiled, smug, "I'm a people person."

Jackie rolled her eyes at the woman.

"Have you got anyone called Alonzo?" the Doctor asked.

So Angel rolled her eyes at him.

"No, I don't think so. Is that important?"

"I suppose not. What was your name?"

"Yvonne," she replied as the Doctor and Angel moved over to examine some other artifacts, "Yvonne Hartman," she watched as the Doctor moved to Angel's side as she paused before a box, looking intently at the two large black block-like devices within with an all too familiar expression on her face, the Doctor pulling them out to look at more closely, "Ah yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tons of weight with a single hand."

"Or you could hold onto something," Angel remarked, looking at them.

"That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric."

The Doctor put the clamps back into the box and brushed his hands together.

"I could do with that to carry the shopping," Jackie laughed.

"All these devices are for _Torchwood's_ benefit," Yvonne told her patronizingly, " _Not_ the general public's."

Jackie made a face at her.

"So, what about these ghosts?" the Doctor called, looking through a magnifying glass.

"As yes, the ghosts. They're er...what you might call a...side effect."

"A side effect of what?" Angel asked, stepping around a table to the Doctor's side.

"All in good time. There is an itinerary, trust me."

"Oi!" Jackie cried, seeing the TARDIS moved through the loft on a lorry, "Where're you taking that?"

"'If it's alien, it's ours.'"

"She'll _never_ let you in," Angel smirked at the old box.

"Hmm!" Yvonne didn't seem to consider that a problem, "Et cetera," she turned and walked away as the Doctor watched the TARDIS drive past. Rose opened the door and peeked through. He nodded at her, before looking away.

~8~

Rose closed the door and walked over to the Doctor's coat. She rummaged through the pockets, "Psychic paper...psychic paper..." she smiled, finding it, biting her lip as she considered what to do next.

~8~

The young black woman looked across the room to Matt, typing in a message, " _Hey Matt. Want to see something good?_ "

Matt looked up from his work, surprised, mouthing 'what?' back at her.

" _Come and see,_ " Matt's computer bleeped as he received the message. She stood up and walked out, Matt reluctantly following after.

~8~

Yvonne led them all down a corridor, flanked by armed soldiers, "All those times we've been on Earth," the Doctor muttered, "WE'VE never heard of you."

"But of course not," Yvonne remarked, "You're the enemy. You're actually _named_ in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown."

"1879...that was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland."

"That's right. Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf."

"I think he makes half of it up," Jackie remarked.

"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great. And fighting the alien horde."

"But if we're the enemy, does that mean that we're prisoners?" the Doctor asked conversationally.

"Oh yes. But we'll make you perfectly comfortable."

"You know…" Angel said as they rounded a corner, "This _isn't_ actually the first time we heard of Torchwood."

The Doctor looked at her, a bit startled, "It's not?"

She shook her head, "Remember, Elton told us that the Absorbaloff used the Torchwood Files to find Rose? And then there was Zach and the crew working for the Torchwood Archive, and Detective Inspector Bishop, he said something about Torchwood too…"

She'd discovered that, while her face had been stolen and her mind wiped clean by the Wire, she remembered being able to hear what was going on around her during that time. It was dull, quiet at best, but she _could_ remember bits and pieces of what the people around her had said. While her sight, smell, taste, and most of her touch had been taken from her, her ears remained, her hearing. She remembered the Doctor's promise, that nothing in the Universe would stop him, remembered, vaguely, his touch on her face, remembered something about Torchwood, and Rose talking to her, trying to keep her calm and comforted as they waited for the Doctor to save her. But she DID remember it, Torchwood had certainly been mentioned.

"Huh…" the Doctor trailed in thought before grinning at Yvonne, "Seems you're not as undetectable as you thought."

Yvonne just rolled her eyes at them, continuing on, "There is so much you can _teach_ us. Starting with this," she flashed her ID card across a digital lock on a set of black doors and walked in. There was an enormous sphere hovering across the room, "Now, what do you make of _that_?"

Noticing their arrival, Rajesh straightened his jacket and approached the Doctor who was gazing up at the sphere, open mouthed, as was Angel, "You must be the Doctor and the Angel. Rajesh Singh. It's an honor!" he held out a hand to them but the Doctor barely noticed, Angel just shook his hand absently as she stepped past him, slowly making her way up the stairs to look at the sphere from underneath.

"Yeah..." the Doctor said vaguely, half his attention on the sphere and the other half on Angel.

"What IS that thing?" Jackie asked.

"We got no idea," Yvonne replied.

"But what's wrong with it?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh looked at her.

"I dunno...just feels weird…"

The Doctor rushed forward and joined Angel up at the sphere, she'd tried to touch it and, much like Rajesh, hadn't been able too.

"Well, the Sphere has that effect on everyone," Yvonne remarked, "Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden."

"We tried analyzing it using every device imaginable," Rajesh added.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked Angel quietly, "Is it blurry as well?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Take a look," the Doctor whipped on his 3D specs.

"But, according to our instruments, the Sphere doesn't exist," Rajesh continued, "It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And, has no atomic mass."

"But I can _see_ it!" Jackie argued.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off... _nothing_. It is...absent."

"Well, Doctor?" Yvonne called, "Angel? Getting any 'feelings' about it?"

The Doctor frowned, more than a little disturbed that Torchwood also seemed to know of Angel's abilities, something, he knew, would make her just as valuable to them as he was. Where he was useful in alien knowledge...what the humans wouldn't give to be able to _know_ the future.

"This is a Void Ship," he deduced, trying to keep the topic away from Angel's gifts.

"And what is that?"

"It's supposed to be _impossible_ ," Angel frowned as well, the Doctor taking off his specs.

"I always thought it was just a theory," the Doctor agreed, "But..."

"It's a vessel that's meant to exist _outside_ time and space," Angel shook her head, she knew quite a bit about them, about all forms of time/space travel really. She'd always been fascinated by the Vortex, by time travel, by the TARDISes, by history, and Void Ships had been among some of the interesting things she'd taught herself about, "They're built to withstand travelling through the Void itself."

The Doctor took her hands, pulling her away from the ship to sit beside him on the steps, facing Yvonne and Rajesh.

"And what's 'the Void?'" Rajesh shook his head.

"The space between dimensions."

"There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel Universes all stacked up against each other," the Doctor explained, "The Void is the space in between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that, _nothing_. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end. Our people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."

"But _someone_ built the Sphere," Rajesh argued, "What for? Why go there?"

"To explore?"

"To _escape_ ," Angel corrected, glancing at it over her shoulder.

"You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang...end of the Universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."

"You see, we were right," Yvonne smiled smugly, "There _is_ something inside it."

"Yes," Angel nodded, her eyes glued to it, her stomach in knots now.

"So how do we get in there?" Rajesh looked at them.

"I don't think you want to. You _don't_ want to know what's inside…"

The Doctor frowned, leaning over to her, "What's in there?"

She blinked, looking away from it and back at him, "Nightmares."

The Doctor stood suddenly, "We need to send that thing back into Hell. How did it get here in the first place?"

"Well, that's how it all started," Yvonne said, "The Sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake."

"Could you show us?" Angel stood as well. The Doctor nodded, striding off with Angel following him.

Yvonne and Rajesh exchanged a look before she followed them with Jackie after her.

"Other way!" Angel called as the Doctor turned left outside the door. The Doctor turned right, stopping by the doors to take Angel's hand and continue on.

~8~

"I don't get it Addy," Matt grumbled, annoyed, as he was led to a set of plastic curtains, "What is it? What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Just go to the left!" Addy said brightly.

"Yvonne's gonna be back any minute," Matt countered, looking through to see a red light shining from somewhere inside it.

"Just go to the left."

"What, you mean in here?!" Matt gestured to the curtains. She nodded. He sighed and pushed through, walking in. She walked away, smirking, as Matt screamed.

~8~

Rose tentatively stepped out of the TARDIS doors, finding herself tucked away in a corner of some sort of factory. She quickly ducked out of sight as two men walked past. She tried to go back but two other soldiers approached. She waited on baited breath till they were gone before grabbing a discarded white lab coat and pulling it on. She walked confidently out into the open, doing what the Doctor did and acting like she owned the place. No one gave her a second glance. She spotted another man striding purposefully through a door and followed him.

~8~

Yvonne led the Doctor and Angel to an expanse of white wall at the end of a room near the top of the tower, Angel glancing back as a young black woman, as Addy, entered and sat by a computer, stiff backed, staring right ahead of her, blank. She frowned, eyeing the woman when Yvonne spoke, cutting off her thoughts, "The Sphere came through here. A hole in the world," the Doctor ran a hand along it, Angel reaching out to just rest a hand on it, "Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up."

"How'd you even _find_ it?" Angel asked, breathless, she could almost feel the fracturing in the Universe centered on the wall.

"Well, we were getting warning signs for _years_. A radar black-spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred feet above sea level. It was on the only way to reach it."

"You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance?" the Doctor asked, putting on his 3D specs, "How much money have you got?"

"Enough," Yvonne smiled, moving to her office in the back of the room.

The Doctor pulled off his specs and crossed his arms, contemplating the wall. He looked at Angel as she stepped back and just shook her head at it.

"Hold on a minute..." Jackie called, looking out a window across from Yvonne's desk, "We're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf."

"Well, that is the _public_ name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."

"So, you find the breech, probe it, the Sphere comes through," the Doctor joined them, leaning against the doorframe to Yvonne's office, "Six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think 'let's make it BIGGER!'"

"It's a massive source of _energy_. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes," she turned and walked out of the office.

"Cancel it," Angel called softly.

The Doctor looked over to see Angel standing by the wall, still staring at it. That large white wall with just her standing before it, her back to them.

"I don't think so," Yvonne scoffed.

"Look, she's trying to _warn_ you," the Doctor said, slowly growing angry with how little the woman was listening to Angel's advice. Angel just looked back over her shoulder at them, before glancing hesitantly at the wall once more, and walking over to join them, "Cancel it."

"Oh, _exactly_ as the legends would have it," Yvonne spun to face him, "The Doctor and the Angel, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man."

Angel blinked, "You _do_ know we are Time LORDS yeah?" she asked, stepping past her to the Doctor's side.

"Let me show you," the Doctor turned and pulled the sonic out of his pocket, moving to stand on the other side of a glass partition between Yvonne's office and the rift area, "Sphere comes through," he flashed the sonic at the glass, making a small hole in one of Torchwood's Os, the glass splintered and cracked, extending outwards from it, "But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And _that's_ how the ghosts get through. _That's_ how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and..." he tapped it ever so gently…

The glass shattered all over the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, next chapter we get Mickey! Woo!


	42. Army of Ghosts: The Invasion

Yvonne glanced, unamused, at the broken shards of glass littering her floor, "Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful," she waved the Doctor's warning off, turning to address her staff, "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."

"Ms. Hartman, I'm asking you, no, I'm _begging_ you," Angel pleaded, turning to follow her, " _Please_ , don't do it."

She had honestly doubted her stomach could end up any more knotted than it already was, but just then, having the woman about to launch another round of the Ghost Shift...there went her stomach. The ghosts weren't what the humans thought, she knew it, the Doctor knew it, she was fairly certain even Jackie knew it deep down now. And...she could just tell, one more shift, that was ALL the ghosts needed to do whatever it was they had come to Earth to do. And whatever the ghosts had come to do, it wouldn't be good, it rarely ever was.

They had to stop it.

"We have done this a thousand times," Yvonne rolled her eyes at them.

"Then stop at a thousand!" the Doctor shouted, taking Angel's words more to heart than Yvonne was, but, then again, while they knew she got 'feelings' about the future, HE knew JUST how accurate they turned out to be. And Angel DID NOT want the shift to happen. Even if she didn't know what it was, there was a _reason_ for it.

"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally they can CLOSE it."

They stared at each other a moment, a battle of wills between Yvonne and the Doctor, the tension mounting, when suddenly...

"Ok," the Doctor shrugged, turning away and stepping into Yvonne's office.

"Sorry?!" Yvonne asked, startled. She glanced at Angel, but even SHE seemed shocked that the Doctor had given up just like that.

"Never mind!" he waved her off, "As you were."

"What, is that it?"

The Doctor just pulled out two chairs, one from behind Yvonne's desk and the other from across it, and set them before the woman in the Rift Room. He settled down in one, motioning for Angel to take the other which she did, "No! Fair enough. Said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?"

"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds," Addy called, her voice monotoned.

Angel frowned, shifting in her seat to peer slightly around Yvonne, at Addy's back. The girl was stiff, sitting rigidly, barely moving. It was just...unnatural. She could tell there was something more to it but...she just didn't know what. It was like there was something at the edge of her thoughts and senses that she just hadn't quite grasped yet.

"Mmm!" the Doctor smirked, pulling Angel's attention back, "Can't WAIT to see it!"

"You can't stop us," Yvonne argued.

"No, absolutely not!" he agreed, turning to Jackie, "Pull up a chair, Rose! Come and watch the fireworks."

Jackie stepped forward, standing behind them, in between the two of them, as they turned to Yvonne.

"Ghost Shift in ten seconds," Addy counted down, "Nine...eight..."

Yvonne uneasily looked at the Doctor who raised his eyebrows, _daring_ her to let the shift happen, while Angel went back to eyeing Addy with concern.

"Seven...six...five...four...three...two..."

"Stop the Shift," Yvonne cut in, "I said stop."

"Thank you," Angel turned to her, smiling gratefully, breathing a huge sigh of relief as the Doctor reached out and took her hand, glancing at her. He'd been so focused on staring down Yvonne, on getting her to back down, that he hadn't quite gotten a sense of Angel's thoughts. She seemed troubled, but much more at ease now.

"I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything."

"Glad to be of help," the Doctor smiled.

"And someone clear up this glass," Yvonne called to the room, before glancing at the Doctor, "They _did_ warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess," she turned to disappear into her office, the Doctor getting up to follow, bringing the chair back.

Angel rose as well, but not before casting a glance at the three people in the room still sitting at their desks even though the shift had been cancelled. She turned and walked off as well, following after the Doctor, not seeing those same people exchange a look and start typing again.

~8~

Rose walked down a corridor, still following the same man, before jogging to catch up with him as he rounded a corner. She paused just before she reached it, taking a breath and looking around it, watching the man enter a room through a pair of black doors. She waited till they closed and walked up to them, pulling out the physic paper and pressing it against the lock, willing it to be whatever sort of ID could get her into the room. She grinned as the doors sliding open, forcing it down to try and seem like she was just another professional working there. She walked slowly into the Sphere Chamber, slowing in her confident stride as she started staring in shocked silence at the sphere, feeling what all others had felt...it was just _wrong_.

"Can I help you?" Rajesh asked, stepping over to her when he spotted her.

"I was just..." she trailed, eyeing the sphere, unable to look away.

"Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?"

"Sorry," she shook her head, forcing herself to turn to the man instead, "Um...they sent me from personnel. They said some man and woman had been taken prisoner. Some sort of doctor and some woman who calls herself an angel? I'm just...checking the lines of communication, did they tell you anything?"

"Can I see your authorization?" he eyed her suspiciously. In all his time there, in all the aliens he'd encountered, no one had ever wanted to 'check the lines of communication' because they were _always_ open, _everyone_ knew about the Sphere Chamber and what was within it, just like he knew about the Ghost Shift, about the factory floor and the testing facilities.

This girl, she didn't make sense.

"...sure," Rose smiled, handing him the psychic paper.

"That's lucky," Rajesh looked at it, smirking before he held the paper up to her, "You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a _basic_ level of psychic training," Rose's smile faded, "This paper...is blank. And you're a _fake_ ," he tapped his ear-pod, calling into the comm., "Seal the room. Call security."

Rose gasped, turning to look at the doors as they slammed shut.

"Samuel?" Rajesh called to a young black man in a white lab coat who had his back to them, "Can you check the door locks? She just walked right in."

Samuel turned, Rose's eyes widening as she saw _Mickey Smith_ standing there, "Doing it now, sir," he nodded, walking over.

Rose stared at him, gaped really, as he put a finger on his lips, giving her a thumbs up, grinning.

"Well," Rajesh turned to Rose, "If you'd like to take a seat."

Rose nodded mutely, at a loss for words, and went over to Rajesh's desk where he was standing with his hands on the back of a chair, a laptop open before him.

~8~

Yvonne sat at her desk, her laptop in front of her, "So these ghosts, whatever they are, did _they_ build the Sphere?" she looked over at the Doctor, who was sitting with his feet crossed up on the desk, lying back in the chair, relaxed, though casting worried glances at Angel as she stood by the broken partition, staring through it into the Rift Room. He would have thought she were lost in thought or not paying attention had she not answered Yvonne's question.

"No," Angel shook her head, "No, they didn't…"

The Doctor sighed, "Well, whoever it was, they aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball."

"Yvonne?" Rajesh called through a video link, a small window popping up on Yvonne's screen of the Sphere Chamber, "I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. We don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor and the Angel."

Yvonne turned the laptop around so the Doctor could see Rose sitting beside Rajesh, "She one of yours?"

He shook his head, "Never seen her before in my life."

"Good! Then we can have her shot."

Jackie gasped, startled at that, afraid.

"Oh alright then," the Doctor sat up, "It'll be worth a try. That's... _that's_ Rose Tyler."

"Sorry," Rose waved, "Hello!"

"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's SHE?" Yvonne looked up at Jackie.

"I'm her mother," Jackie smiled.

"Oh, you travel with her mother?" Yvonne raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"He kidnapped me!" she nearly stomped her foot at that before letting out a huff and looking over, frowning when she saw Angel hadn't moved. The girl hadn't even reacted when Yvonne mentioned having Rose shot, hadn't even twitched. True, the girl's back had been to the monitor, but she didn't doubt that Angel already knew it was Rose on the screen, being psychic and all, the girl had even known SHE'D been upset with Elton that one time without even being on the planet! And for her NOT to react to THAT...something had to truly be bothering her.

She walked over to the girl, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, concerned, "You alright sweetheart?" she asked, watching Angel's expression. It was...distant, as though she were looking through the wall at the end of the room and into another world, but confused, like, even though she was looking, she couldn't SEE anything.

She was worried, she could admit that. She was a mother, so seeing someone else, someone who looked young enough to be her daughter so...lost...she just wanted to help. And, she supposed, she'd started to see Angel almost like a daughter in a way. She had been blonde, the last her at least, and Rose had often joked when they'd pop in for a visit that Angel was like the older sister she'd never had. Seeing the two blonde girls together, how they interacted, she could almost picture them as sisters, see Angel as her daughter. She cared for the girl very much, her and the Doctor both.

"I'm fine," Angel murmured, her voice soft, as distant as her expression was.

"Are you sure?"

Angel nodded, starting to frown, "There's just something...I can't quite..." she shook her head lightly.

"Please," the Doctor continued to moan to Yvonne, not hearing the quiet conversation going on a few feet away, "When Torchwood comes to write my complete history, _don't_ tell people I travelled through time and space with her _mother_..."

"Charming," Jackie turned to him, crossing her arms.

Angel blinked, her eyes widening as a feeling hit her.

"I've got a reputation to uphold!"

"Doctor…" Angel called, a slight tremor in her voice.

The Doctor was on his feet in an instant and at her side in less than that, hearing that almost scared quality in her voice, "What is it?" he eyed her with concern, taking her hand.

"Something's wrong…" she breathed, her eyes still set on the wall, "Something's very, _very_ wrong…"

And then...the Ghost Shift engines started up.

Yvonne stood and turned to her staff, the three people at their desks, "Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said _stop_ the Ghost Shift."

They ignored her, staring ahead blankly, "Who started the program? But…I ordered you to _stop_! Who's doing that?!" she pointed at the levers, now rising on their own, "Step away from the monitors, everyone."

No one moved.

"Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, RIGHT NOW. Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order!"

"Stop the levers!" Angel shouted, running out of the office.

"You heard her!" Yvonne called as two scientists rushed forward, struggling to push them down, "Stop the levers!"

"What's SHE doing?" the Doctor yelled, following Angel to where she'd dashed to Addy's side.

"Addy?" Yvonne frowned, "Step away from the desk," she looked over as the Doctor stared at Addy and snapped his fingers in front of her face but Addy didn't react, "Listen to me. Step away from the desk."

"She can't hear you," Angel told her gently, her gaze pulled to the all too familiar ear-pods blinking in Addy's ears.

"They're overriding the system," the Doctor looked at the computer the girl was working away on before glancing at the wall, "We're going into Ghost Shift."

The light continued to brighten around them.

~8~

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled," Rajesh called into the comm., not noticing Mickey glance over his shoulder at him as he checked the locks, "What's going on?" he frowned as there was no reply, "Yvonne?" the whole chamber shuddered suddenly, the sphere readouts going crazy, "It _can't_ be…" Rose and Mickey hurried over to him, looking at the readings too, when another crash shook the room, "It's _active_!"

~8~

The Doctor glanced at Angel, seeing her staring at Addy's ear-pod before looking at it himself, "It's the earpiece controlling them…" he sighed, "We've seen this before…" he moved behind Addy, the sonic in hand, "Sorry. I'm so sorry," he flashed the sonic across the ear-pod, cancelling the signal.

Addy screamed in pain and slumped over the desk, dead, as did Matt and Gareth behind her.

"What _happened_?" Yvonne gaped, "What did you just _do_?"

"They're dead."

"You _killed_ them!" Jackie gasped.

"No, _he_ didn't...they were dead a _long_ time ago," Angel said quietly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Addy's head, trying to take comfort in the fact that the girl hadn't been completely converted or 'upgraded,' that she had left this world still human.

"But he _killed_ them!"

"Jackie, we haven't got _time_ for this!" the Doctor shouted angrily.

"What're those earpieces?" Yvonne asked, eyeing the pod.

"Don't," Angel warned her, "Don't touch them. Really, _don't_."

"But they're standard comm. devices, how does it control them?"

"Trust us, leave them alone," the Doctor said, moving over to Matt's computer.

"But what _are_ they?" Yvonne reached out and grabbed hold of Addy's ear-pod, pulling it…pulling a trail of brain tissue right out of her head, "Ugh! Oh, God! It goes inside their _brain_!" she dropped it, nearly gagging at the sight, trying to wipe her hands on her pants.

"What about the Ghost Shift?"

"Ninety percent there. It's still running. Can't you stop it?"

"Not while they're still controlling it," Angel said, looking at Matt and Gareth's computers. The system had deadlocked as soon as the connection to the ear-pods had been cut, she'd seen that much in the Doctor's frantic mind. There was no way to stop the Ghost Shift now.

But maybe, just maybe, there was a way to stop whatever was forcing it to open back.

"They've hijacked the system," the Doctor agreed.

"Who's THEY?" Yvonne asked.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic and held it flat in his palm, turning slowly as it whirred, "It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by. I can trace it," he darted off, receiving a signal, "Jackie, stay here!"

Yvonne and Angel followed after him, not noticing her laptop had Rajesh speaking quickly over it, the audio silent.

~8~

Angel stopped short in the hall as the Doctor and Yvonne ran on...

' _...Yvonne, for God's sake, the Sphere is active!..._ '

Rajesh was alarmed, frantic even.

' _...It's opening..._ '

And that was HER.

' _...Oh my God..._ '

"Rose…" she breathed as the third, terrified, voice mixed into the jumbled mess inside her mind. A sinking feeling rose in her stomach at hearing the truly scared note in Rose's voice. She knew she had to be there, in the Sphere Chamber with Rose, not just because she was apparently there in the near future but... _Rose_ was trapped there, with something about to come out of the sphere.

Nightmares.

Terrible, horrible nightmares.

Ones that would only bring destruction.

She shook her head, not Rose, _please_ , not Rose. She'd already lost one sister...she _couldn't_ lose another.

And so, without another thought, she turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction.

~8~

"We've got a problem down here!" Rajesh shouted into the comm., "Yvonne, can you hear me?" the sphere vibrated, "Yvonne, for God's sake, the Sphere is active! The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field, it _exists_!"

"Rose!" Angel shouted, rushing into the room just as the door crashed shut behind her.

Rajesh ran to the door, pressing a code below the keypad, but the doors refused to open, "The door's sealed! Automatic quarantine, we can't get out!"

Angel ran over to Rose and Mickey, quickly hugging Rose, "Are you alright?" she pulled away to look Rose up and down as though checking to make sure she was truly ok.

"I'm fine," Rose nodded, though her heart was finally slowing down, feeling much safer, despite the sphere trying to cause an earthquake, now that at least Angel was there.

Angel looked over, her eyes widening at the sight of Mickey, "Mickey!" she gasped, half-squealing as she lunged at him and hugging him close, tight, despite his obvious confusion.

"Um…hi?" Mickey shook his head, awkwardly patting the woman's back as he looked at Rose over her shoulder, giving her a confused look. Rose just smirked, shaking her head, waiting to see his reaction. He pulled back just a little, "Who're you?"

Angel mock-pouted, "Don't tell me my companion can't recognize his pilot!"

"Angel?" his eyes widened, taking her in, gaping at how different she was.

She laughed, "Changed my face, like the Doctor did…"

"Angel!" Mickey reached out, pulling her back in as he hugged her, a real proper hug this time.

Angel beamed, hugging him tightly as he picked her up and spun her around, completely ignoring the shaking room and the sphere that was now starting to glow just a little.

He was _so_ relieved to see her alright despite the change in her appearance and he honestly _didn't_ want to know what happened because, if it was the Doctor's fault that she'd basically died, he'd probably kill the man, no regeneration, and Angel would be _very_ cross with him if he did that. He'd missed her SO MUCH, truly he had. She'd been one of the first people to make him feel... _worth something_. She looked at him like he was an incredible man, made him feel _important_ and _in charge_ and _capable_ of doing things himself, something that had carried over into the parallel world, given him the courage and strength to take charge of the Preachers, help control the Cybermen. When they'd discovered the Cybers had escaped into this world his first thought actually _hadn't_ been Rose but of how _Angel_ would handle the Cybers returning given how she'd reacted the last time they saw the metal men. She'd been there for him when they'd gone to see his Gran, and so, he wanted to be there for her.

He wanted to protect her as she had often done for him.

"Look at you Mickey Smith!" Angel laughed, pulling back, squeezing his arms, "Have you been working out?"

He beamed, pleased though not surprised _she'd_ noticed the beginnings of the physical change that had accompanied his many other changes, "Yeah, I have," he nodded, a little smug too, "But look at YOU! You're a ginger!" he tugged on her plait, "Bet the Doctor's not happy 'bout that."

Angel smiled, about to tell him that the Doctor actually seemed to _love_ her new red hair, when her smile fell completely as her gaze locked on the sphere behind him. It wasn't _just_ shaking anymore...now there was a _crack_ starting to form in it, "It's opening..." she breathed, her eyes wide.

"It's alright," he told her comfortingly, "We beat them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

"The fight against what?" Rose looked at him, sad that the small reunion between pilot and companion had been cut short. She'd seen how much Angel missed Mickey and could only guess how much he'd missed her as well, missed the both of them.

"What d'you think?"

"Cybers?" Angel asked, looking up at the sphere. It couldn't be though…Cybermen were _bad_ , yes, but...the feeling she got at the sight of it...it was much _worse_ than Cybers…

~8~

The Doctor ran along the corridor, following the sonic, Yvonne following, "You two," she stopped two soldiers, "You come with us."

"Yes, ma'am," the soldiers nodded.

~8~

Jackie watched in fear as the scientists tried and failed to push the levers down.

~8~

The Doctor stopped by a curtained area, Yvonne and the two soldiers as well, "What's down here?" he asked.

"I don't..." Yvonne shrugged, "I dunno, I think it's building work. It's just renovations."

"You should go back," the Doctor pushed through the curtains. He'd noticed that Angel turned back a while ago, probably to check on Jackie, which he was thankful for. Not knowing what might lie beyond the curtains, it put him on edge, even more so if his Mate had been there. She would be safer with Jackie he knew, for now he had to focus on what was going on, he needed to concentrate.

"Think again," Yvonne followed after him, gesturing to the soldiers to do the same. The Doctor stopped pushing the curtains aside as the sonic beeped, "What is it? What's down here?"

He frowned, "Earpieces, ear-pods, Angel was right, it isn't from _this_ world. This world is colliding with another. And I think I know which one."

Suddenly the shadows of Cybermen appeared behind the curtains around them.

"What are they?" Yvonne took a step back.

"They came through first," the Doctor said as the Cybers cut through the curtains with their hands, "The advance guard," he stared in horror as the Cybers stepped through, "Cybermen."

The two soldiers fired their bullets at the Cybers but it did nothing. The Doctor and Yvonne tried to escape another way but they were surrounded.

~8~

Another crash emitted from the sphere, "We had them beaten, but then they escaped," Mickey explained quickly to the women, "The Cybermen just vanished," he glanced over as another crash sounded, "They found a way through to this world, but, so did we."

"The Doctor said that was impossible," Rose looked at him, frowning. She'd gleamed enough from what the Doctor had said during that trip and what Angel had shown her of the TARDIS since then to know that they truly had sealed that world away, not even the TARDIS should have been able to get across to the paralle world. So how had they?

"It should be," Angel agreed.

"Yeah, well it's not the first time he's been wrong," Mickey smirked.

"It's not _wrong_. I _could_ be done," she nodded, "If something had enough power, like...a Dimension Cannon or something, then parallel worlds can still be crossed. But...to do that...it's highly, _highly_ damaging. Just _hopping_ from one world to another tears a hole in the Universe…"

Mickey swallowed hard, their Torchwood hadn't exactly added _that_ side effect of the hopping when they explained what their teleports did.

"What's inside that Sphere?" Rose looked up at it as it crashed, a light starting to shine from the crack.

"No one knows," Mickey shrugged, "Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen...whatever it is..." he grinned, "He's dead meat."

"It's good to see you," Rose smiled, nudging him.

"Yeah," Angel added, hugging him to the side again.

"It's good to see you too," he smiled at them.

The sphere crashed again.

~8~

The Cybers shoved Yvonne and the Doctor back to the Rift Room, "Get away from the machines!" he shouted, "Do what they say, don't fight them!"

The Cybers pulled out their weapons and shot the scientists dead anyway.

"What _are_ they?" Jackie gasped.

"We are the Cybermen," a Cyberman replied, "The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent," he clamped a fist to his chest, the levers rising again.

"Online."

"Here come the ghosts," the Doctor breathed as the light brightened. He looked over at Jackie, his frown deepening, "Jackie...where's Angel?"

"She ran out after you," Jackie replied.

The Doctor's eyes widened, his hearts stopping as a pit dropped into his stomach, _no_ …

~8~

The ghosts stepped out into thin air all over the factory floor of Torchwood.

~8~

And around the Powell Estate.

~8~

"It's _extraordinary_ , there are more ghosts than we've _ever_ seen before…" a Ghost Watcher reported as the ghosts materialized around Big Ben and the Taj Mahal, "And it's happening all over the world."

~8~

"As far as we know, the increase in ghost activity is harmless," a reported announced.

~8~

Rows and rows of Cybermen marched out of the light and into the Rift Room.

~8~

"Can anyone hear me?" Rajesh shouted into the comm., still trying to connect to Yvonne in the Rift Room, "Come on, I need help down here!" the entire chamber started to shake, "I need…"

Until the sphere stilled suddenly.

Rajesh turned and walked over to Mickey, Rose, and Angel, all of them staring as a high-pitched noise emitted from the crack that had expanded right across the whole of the sphere.

Mickey pulled off his lab coat and his dud ear-pod, "Here we go."

Rajesh put his glasses on, the four of them watching as the smooth crack opened upwards.

~8~

"These Zybermen, what've _they_ got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked the Doctor quietly.

"Do you never listen?" he snapped, his hearts restarting, racing now, his hands clenching into fists at his side, "A footprint doesn't look like a boot!"

"Achieving full transfer," a Cyber stated.

"They're Cybermen. _All_ of the ghosts are Cybermen."

The Cybermen marched out of the light, slowly becoming more defined.

"Millions of them. Right across the world."

And _Angel_ was out there somewhere while he was surrounded by too many Cybers to escape and find her...

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes, ' _Angel..._ '

~8~

The Cybermen appeared in their true, solid form around the factory floor.

~8~

People ran screaming from the Cybers appearing all around the Powell Estate.

~8~

The Cybermen materialized fully around the world, from the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal and beyond.

~8~

"They're not ghosts!" the Ghost Watcher cried, "They're metal men…" a Cyberman walked right into the studio and strangled him for the world to see.

~8~

"I urge you, stay in your homes!" a police officer shouted over the news.

~8~

Cybermen broke down the doors of ordinary houses to find families cowering everywhere. A little boy made a break for it, but another Cyber blocked the stairs.

~8~

Hundreds of Cybers marched into the Rift Room, standing in the light, ready for war, "They're invading the whole planet," Yvonne gasped.

"It's not an _invasion_ , it's too late for that," the Doctor shook his head, his jaw clenching, feeling a flash of anger towards the woman, towards the humans. It was their fault the Cybers were there, and now Angel was trapped out there with them, "It's a _victory_."

The laptop started to beep, "Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated…"

The Doctor looked at it, his brow furrowed when he realized _exactly_ where Angel was. If she wasn't with Jackie, she had to have gone to _Rose_. He focused his mind, reaching out for Angel once more…but he couldn't hear her anywhere…and he couldn't even _begin_ to say how that terrified him...

~8~

The light grew stronger as the sphere opened wider.

"I know what's in there," Mickey said, "And I'm ready for them. I've got _just_ the thing," he rushed over to a counter, pulling a gun from under it and running back to stand before the sphere, "This is gonna blast them to Hell."

"Samuel, what are you _doing_?!" Rajesh exclaimed.

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth," he cocked his gun at the sphere.

"No…" Angel breathed, her eyes widening as she recognized what could create the sort of terror she was feeling right now. And it wasn't _Cybermen_.

Cybermen had made her angry once.

But this...this was _fear_...

And only _one_ species truly bred that.

~8~

"But the Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship, that's WAY beyond you," the Doctor turned to a Cyberman, "How did you create that Sphere?"

"The Sphere is not ours," the Cyber replied.

The Doctor blinked, stunned, the pit in his stomach growing, _Angel_ was in the Sphere Chamber right now, "...what?"

"The Sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."

"Then what's inside it..." he breathed, realizing that Angel was right, something _was_ inside it.

But if the _Cybers_ didn't build it…who did…

Nightmares, Angel had said...

That did NOTHING to calm his nerves.

"Rose is down there," Jackie reminded him, scared.

~8~

"Oh my God," Angel breathed as a familiar looking alien emerged from the sphere, three more behind it.

"That's not Cybermen..." Mickey muttered, thrown, as four Daleks levitated down from the sphere.

"Oh my God," Rose repeated Angel's words, reaching out blindly to take the woman's hand, both of them hanging onto each other for dear life.

"Location: Earth," a Dalek reported, "Life forms detected. Exterminate!"

Mickey aimed a gun at them but it didn't slow them down.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 3 chapters left! OMG! We only have Doomsday and its 3 chapters left! :( But then we get a little bit of good old Donna :)
> 
> Just remember though, I mentioned in an earlier chapter, Mickey will have to make a choice at one point, Rose or Angel...dum dum duh!


	43. Doomsday: The Genesis Ark

The Daleks touched down to the ground and began to glide menacingly towards Rose, Mickey, and Rajesh, crying 'Exterminate' when Angel quickly stepped forward, into their way, blocking their path to the humans, "Daleks!" she called, praying that her mad little idea would work.

The Doctor did it often enough, ran right into the middle of something shouting 'Stop!' or 'Wait!' or 'Listen!' and, most times, whoever he'd run in the middle of actually did as he asked. She supposed it was good, in a way, as long as he was shouting 'Stop!' or something like that. She could only imagine what would happen if he ran out shouting something daft like 'Look at me, I'm a target!'

To the surprise of the humans though...the Daleks stopped in, what the humans might call, surprise, turning their eyestalks right at Angel at the same time, making her gasp and tense and take a step back.

"Y-you're Daleks," she repeated, her voice shaking just a bit at having four of them currently focused on her. Her hearts were racing but, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel enormously relieved that they were no longer stalking closer to the humans...and that the Doctor wasn't there. She knew the Daleks classified him as an enemy, they'd try to kill him at a moment's notice. But her...she was unknown to them, or she had been for the most part before Satellite 5. There was a chance they'd only recognize her as someone from Gallifrey and go for her and not the humans. She could stall them then.

The first Dalek lifted a sucker at her, Angel staying very still as it scanned her, "Time Lady!" it cried.

"That's right," she nodded, trying to seem more confident than she felt. If she truly showed she was scared, the humans would be afraid too, and she needed all of them calm and rational right now, "I'm a Time Lady. And looking at that," she nodded towards a Dalek shaped container that had followed them down from the sphere, settling behind them, "I'd say that's tech you can't operate. You _need_ me," she really, _really_ hoped they did, "And if you want me to do anything for you, you need to keep these humans alive, _all_ of them. Do you understand me?"

The Daleks looked at her, one swiveling around to eye the humans, analyzing them for a moment before reporting, "The humans are not a threat," Angel let out a breath of relief but the Dalek just spun around back to her, " _You_ will be necessary," she frowned at that, ok...a little _more_ than she was hoping for. But she had little time to think on that as it swung around once more to another Dalek, "Report, what is the status of the Genesis Ark?"

So _that's_ what it was called then...

"Status...hibernation," the second Dalek stated.

"Commence awakening!"

"The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else," the third Dalek declared. They all turned towards the Genesis Ark, clamping their suction arms to the side of it.

"The Daleks...you said they were all dead," Mickey looked at Rose and Angel.

He remembered learning about them, Angel had told him about them, about what she'd done to stop them, when the Doctor regenerated, not a time he remembered with fondness as it was a tough one for Angel. When he looked back on it now, all he saw was things he could have done to help, things he could have said to Rose to really get her to lay off Angel, ways he could have made Angel happier. Still, if there was one thing he'd learned from Angel it was that some things were better off in the past.

"What I want to know is...what's a Genesis Ark?" Angel frowned, she'd never heard of it before, not that she really knew much about the Daleks to begin with. On the battlefield, all you needed to know was aim for the eyestalk and don't get exterminated, "And why do the _Daleks_ need it?"

"Never mind the Ark, what the hell's _that_!?" Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide and staring at Angel's arm.

Angel looked down, seeing a soft golden energy swarming around her hand, seeming to react to the Dalek threat. She closed her fist tightly, the energy disappearing, "Nothing," she breathed, turning to look at the Daleks, not seeing Rose and Mickey exchange concerned glances, both of them knew what the Vortex energy looked like, Mickey from Margaret the Slitheen and Rose from both times Angel had taken the power in.

This was NOT good...not at all...

And _Angel_ wasn't _talking_ to _them_ about it.

That wasn't like her.

~8~

"What's down there?" Jackie asked the Doctor as he leaned against a wall, a horribly fearful expression on his face that only served to make her more frantic, "She was in that room with the Sphere. What's happened to Rose?"

"I don't know," he sighed, swallowing hard at that thought. He DIDN'T know. He couldn't hear Angel, he'd shouted himself mentally hoarse and she hadn't responded at all. Something _had_ to be wrong and, not being able to connect to her mind, to hear her reassurances that she was fine, to know what was happening...it _killed_ him. And so he just kept repeating to himself she was with Rose, Rose would keep her safe, she had to...otherwise he'd lose it and do something mad that would end up getting him deleted by the Cybers. Then he'd be useless in saving her. Jackie started to cry as he moved over to her, knowing, if Angel were here, she'd be trying to comfort the frightened woman, "I'll find her. Angel and I brought you here, we'll get you both out. You and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me," Jackie looked up at him, eyes red with tears, "I _promise_ you. I give you my word. I will find them alive and safe. I'll find her," he whispered, nodding, "I'll find her. I will _always_ find her and get her back, no matter what. I'll find her."

Jackie eyed him, getting the feeling he was no longer talking about Rose.

A Cyber stomped into the room and over to Yvonne at her desk, "You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender."

"Oh, do some research," she rolled her eyes, "We haven't GOT a central world authority."

"You have now," the Cyber slammed a hand against its chest, "I will speak on all global wavelengths," the Doctor quickly pulled his 3D specs on, doing his best to maintain focus and not run into something unprepared, as Angel had once begged him to do, to THINK, "This broadcast is for human kind."

~8~

On every station in the world the Cyberman appeared, "Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and color and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us."

~8~

The Cybers watched as chaos erupted below the tower, explosions, screaming, people running, the military attacking, the Cybermen retaliating…killing hundreds, "I ordered surrender," the Cyberman remarked.

"They're not taking instructions," the Doctor glared at it, "Don't you understand? You're on every street, you're in their homes. You've got their _children_. Of course they're gonna fight."

And so would he. The Cybers were probably in the Sphere Chamber as well, they had Angel, and if fought for anyone, it would be for _her_.

He just needed a plan and quickly. He could already feel his mind, his drive to think this through, losing the battle against his instinct to protect Angel, to find her and see her safe. He truly didn't know how much longer he'd be able to last without trying to run out there and find her or attack the Cybers.

~8~

"Which of you is least important?" the first Dalek rounded on the group of humans.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Rose shook her head.

"Which of you is least important?"

"No. We don't work like that. None of us."

"Designate the least important!"

"This is my responsibility," Rajesh took a step forward.

"No, don't!" Angel reached out and grabbed his arm, he tried to step forward again, but Angel held him back, knowing what the Daleks would need a human for.

"The Daleks need information about current Earth history," the first Dalek stated, "You shall give it to us!"

"Yeah well I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Home Land security…" Rajesh tried to move before them.

"I said _don't_!" Angel pulled him back violently, dead serious, actually making him stumble a bit from the force of the pull. She wasn't typically that strong, but the adrenaline pumping through her, the fear that one of the humans might be harmed if she didn't do something, if she didn't protect them, was more than enough of a boost, "They won't just _ask_ you questions, they'll extract your brainwaves, literally _crush_ your _skull_ and suck it dry. You'll _die_!"

Rajesh looked completely stunned by that bit of information, not really having any experience with Daleks before, he hadn't known what they would do. He hadn't thought it would be THAT though.

Angel turned back to the Daleks, squaring her shoulders, trying to sound as in charge as the Doctor would, "You will _not_ be given any information about this planet," she told them, "Not from us. Whatever you learn must be of your own doing."

"You dare defy the Daleks!?" the first Dalek shouted, its eyestalk spinning to her.

"I have in the past and I will in the future," she nodded, her hands clenching into fists, feeling herself getting worked up, getting angry, " _Always_. And if you have a problem with that, you just _try me_. I have lost _everything_ in the War, I've got nothing left to lose. And a Time Lady who is _that_ is more deadly than you think," she glared at it, her hand glowing golden once more.

The Dalek's eyestalk lowered to look at the golden swirls, its sucker arm twitching as it scanned the energy, before backing off and turning to the computer at the end of the room, placing the sucker on that instead and absorbing energy and information from the web much like the Dalek in Van Statten's museum had done.

Angel let out a breath, her eyes on the Dalek even as the humans watched the gold fade from her hand. She was thankful the Dalek hadn't seen through her lie, the _only_ thing she truly had left to lose was the Doctor. The TARDIS, as much as she hated to admit it, she could survive without, but if she EVER lost the Doctor...she wouldn't be able to bear that.

She wasn't strong enough for that.

~8~

"Scans detect unknown technology active within Sphere Chamber," a Cyber said on the factory floor.

"Cybermen will investigate," a second one ordered.

The Cybermen turned and pushed past two terrified staff members, "Units 10-65 and 10-66 will investigate Sphere Chamber."

"We obey," the Cybermen called.

~8~

The Dalek glided back from the computer, "The records of this system spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts," it rounded on another Dalek, "Dalek Thay, investigate outside."

"I obey," Thay replied, turning to wheel out.

"Thay?" Angel breathed, her eyes widening at the realization, "They've got _names_!"

"What's wrong with that?" Mickey frowned, looking at her.

"They're the Cult of Skaro…"

"What's _that_ mean?" Rajesh asked, not liking the sound of that.

"It means, things just got much, _much_ worse."

"Can't you call the Doctor?" Rose asked her quietly, glancing at the Daleks. Angel hadn't even mentioned him around the aliens, she guessed it was for a reason. She knew the Daleks saw the Doctor as an enemy, but...wouldn't _that_ be enough to keep them alive?

"I've tried," Angel frowned, "But that Sphere broadcasts _nothing_ , straight into this room," it explained why she hadn't sensed that Mickey there, he'd been hidden in the room, "It's blocking my calls. I feel nothing. I hear just...nothing."

Well, she felt _something_. She could feel the Doctor was still alive. But other than that...she hadn't exactly gotten any feelings since the sphere had opened.

~8~

Two Cybermen marched down a corridor to investigate the Sphere Chamber just as Thay wheeled down the hall towards them.

~8~

"Units open visual link," a Cyber in the Rift Room ordered as the Doctor, Jackie, and Yvonne looked on. A visual of the hallway appeared on Yvonne's laptop, "Visual contact established."

~8~

"Establish visual contact," the first Dalek ordered in the Sphere Chamber, "Lower communications barrier," a projection appeared on the sphere, showing Dalek Thay's view as he met two Cybermen.

~8~

The Doctor's eyes widened in horror as a _Dalek_ became visible on the laptop, his hearts stopping.

"Identify yourselves."

"You will identify first," a Cyberman stated.

"State your identity."

" _You_ will identify first."

" _Identify_!"

~8~

"It's like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock," Mickey remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

~8~

"...illogical, you will modify," the Cyber replied.

"Daleks do not take orders."

"You have identified as Daleks."

"Outline resembles the INFERIOR species known as 'Cybermen.'"

~8~

Jackie turned to the Doctor, scared, "Rose said about the Daleks. She was _terrified_ of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead? Or is she with Angel? Is she gonna protect Rose? What..."

The Doctor turned to her, "Phone!"

"What did you…"

"Phone!" he snapped, holding out a hand. Jackie jumped, quickly handing the Doctor her phone behind the Cyber's back. He quickly dialed Rose's number, holding the phone to his ear, frantic…when suddenly it picked up, "She's answered, she's alive," the Doctor breathed a small sigh of relief, "Why haven't they killed her?"

"Well, don't complain!"

"I think Angel might be with them," he said, it was the _only_ situation where he felt like his hearts _weren't_ going to stop dead, if she was with Rose, then they would both be ok he told himself, because they would look out for each other, "If she is, then the Daleks know she's a Time Lady, they would keep _her_ alive 'cos they need her for something, but not humans…unless…" he looked up, startled, "What has she _done_?"

"We must protect the Genesis Ark," a Dalek shouted over the phone.

"The Genesis Ark?" the Doctor frowned, pulling on his 3D specs and looking around the Cyber, at the laptop.

"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant," a Cyberman was saying.

"Daleks have no concept of elegance," the Dalek stated.

"This is obvious. But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks, together, we could upgrade the Universe."

"You propose an alliance?"

"This is correct."

"Request denied."

The Cybers extended their fists, ready to shoot, "Hostile elements will be deleted."

They fired at the Dalek but the bolts didn't even reach its armor, "Exterminate!" it cried, shooting at the Cybermen, taking them both out.

"Open visual link," the Cyber-Leader ordered as the scene changed to three Daleks in the Sphere Chamber, "Daleks, be warned...you have declared war upon the Cybermen."

Jackie gasped, seeing Rose standing there, with Mickey, Angel, and Rajesh in the background. The Doctor's gaze fell instantly upon Angel, locking on her, watching her despite the encounter. He wasn't sure what to feel now that he actually saw her there, relieved he was right in his guess and she was alright, or terrified that he was right in his guess and she was surrounded by Daleks.

"This is not war," a Dalek rolled forward, "This is pest control."

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

"Four."

"You would destroy the Cybermen with FOUR Daleks?!"

"We would destroy the Cybermen with ONE Dalek. You are superior in only one respect."

"What is that?"

"You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!"

~8~

The screen in the Sphere Chamber went to static as the second Dalek caught something, "Wait! Rewind image by nine rels," the image played back of the Doctor leaning around the Cyber-Leader to look at the laptop, "Identify grid seven gamma frame," the image zoomed in, "This male registers as enemy."

Rose smiled as Angel let out a breath of relief, "The female's heartbeat has increased," the first Dalek turned on Rose.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Mickey joked with a little grin.

In the time he'd been in the other reality, he'd really taken a look at his and Rose's relationship, how it began, where it could have gone, where it was now. He looked at the relationship she'd formed with the Doctor and his own with Angel and realized quite a few things. They'd both grown up from the people they'd been when they first met, they weren't the same people anymore. They'd both changed, for the better, for traveling with the Doctor and Angel. He'd grown up a lot, thanks to that girl, learned to hold his own, learned to fight for what he believed in, learned to believe in himself. He found he really believed what he told Rose before she'd left, they had something once but not anymore and that wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing. The people they were now were more stable, they were stronger, they were mature, they were ready to go out on their own, forge their own relationships.

They both knew who they were now, the sorts of people they were...they'd found themselves on their travels, learned about who they were deep down.

And if there was one thing he'd learned from being Angel's companion, he was _good_.

He was brilliant really.

Yeah, he'd gained pride, self-respect, and confidence along his journey. He was Angel's FIRST companion, no one else in the Universe could claim that title. No one else ever would. She'd picked HIM. The most remarkable woman he'd ever met thought he was special and incredible, enough to feel that he deserved that honor. She'd seen something in him no one else, not even Rose, not even _the Doctor_ , had, and SHE brought that out in him. She'd seen it even before she knew what it was, she'd told him so, she saw how brilliant and strong and noble and... _good_...he was, and now, he saw it too.

"Identify him!" the Dalek demanded, its laser arm twitching.

"Alright then..." Rose gave them a smirk, seeing an opening to add a bit of safety to their situation, "If you _really_ wanna know... _that's_ the Doctor," the Daleks rolled back in what the humans would guess was alarm, "Five million Cybermen, easy. One Doctor? NOW you're scared," Rose gave a little laugh, relieved though that her assumption that the Daleks wouldn't dare hurt them if it meant facing the Doctor's wrath was correct. Now they just needed one more thing to ensure they'd be safe, "And guess who you've got trapped with you? His _Mate_ ," the Daleks wheeled their eyestalks at Angel, backing up from her as though she were a deadly weapon, while Rose nodded, "Now you're _terrified_."

Angel though, shifted on her feet, that had been a _very_ risky thing to do, bringing up the Doctor. She was sure she was looking at it biasedly though, wanting him to always be safe, not wanting the Daleks to know he was there and try to attack him. She could see Rose's point, that letting the Daleks know they were connected to the Doctor would offer them more protection as they wouldn't dare risk angering the Doctor...but...it could have gone terribly wrong. It might still for all she knew.

The Daleks might just use them, the people the Doctor cared for and loved, as leverage.

~8~

"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber," the Cyber-Leader turned to its squad, "Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel."

Cybers entered the office, dragging out Yvonne and Jackie as they struggled, along with a few other scientists and staff, "No, you can't _do_ this!" Yvonne cried, "We surrendered! We _surrendered_!"

"This one's increased adrenaline suggests he has vital Dalek information," the Cyber-Leader said as the Doctor was pulled past.

The Cybers stopped, leaving him there, as Jackie was pulled away, screaming and reaching out for him, "You _promised_ me! You gave me your _word_!"

"I'll think of something!" he called after her, promising her as she was pulled out of the room.

~8~

Thay rolled back into the Sphere Chamber, "Cyber threat irrelevant. Concentrate on the Genesis Ark," the first Dalek turned to the Genesis Arch, pressing its sucker to it.

"Why are we being kept alive?" Mickey asked Angel, "I get you're a Time Lady and all, but why _us_? We're just humans..."

"Because I _won't_ let them hurt you Mickey," Angel remarked, taking Mickey's hand to squeeze it a moment before letting go.

He had to smile at that, it was just so HER. He had to admit, he'd noticed quite a few changes in this new Angel, she wasn't as lost when it came to humans, she was more sure of herself in dealing with others, and she just seemed so... _human_ , to him. But she was still that warm, caring woman that had invited him to travel the Universe in an old blue box, still that psychic girl, still that protective friend. It was nice to see that, despite her changes, she was still the same old Angel, just a different version of her, "But they _listened_."

She sighed, "They might need you for something too then."

"For what?" Rajesh asked, but Angel was reluctant to speak, her mind going from what the Daleks could use them as against the Doctor to what the Daleks could use the humans as against her, "What is it?"

"As leverage," Rose answered for her, taking Angel's hand in her own, knowing the woman was scared to death that she'd do something that might put one of them in danger, that the Daleks might, at any point, try to harm them to get Angel's agreement.

All they could do was try to remain in the background and hope the Doctor could get to them before that thought crossed the Daleks' minds.

~8~

The Cybermen pulled Yvonne and Jackie down to the curtained area, marching the personnel behind the curtains to be 'upgraded.' The hall was filled with screaming and the sound of drills, "What happens in there?" Jackie asked, terrified, "What's upgrading mean? What do they do?"

"I think...I think they remove the brain..." she began, sounding slightly sick, "Sorry, um...I think they remove the brain and they put it in a suit of armor. That's what these things are. They're us."

"Next!" a Cyberman turned to them, reaching out and dragging Yvonne away.

"This is YOUR fault!" Jackie shouted at her, "You and your Torchwood. You've killed us all!"

"I did my duty for Queen and Country," she said tearfully, wrenching her arm away from the Cyber's grip and facing the area where the humans were being upgraded, steeling herself to walk in on her own, her head held high, "I did my duty. I did my duty. Oh, God. I did my duty," she walked in as Jackie winced, hearing her scream.

~8~

The Doctor sat on the windowsill in silence though his mind was racing with different scenarios that he might use to escape, to get to Angel. All of them growing more ridiculous as time went on and he grew more desperate. There was an ache in his chest now, growing stronger with each beating of his hearts. He NEEDED to find Angel. He needed to be with her, hold her, see she was safe. God, he needed _her_.

"You are proof," a Cyber interrupted his frantic, and borderline dangerous, thoughts as it stomped over to him.

"Of what?" he asked, glancing at it.

"That emotions destroy you."

"Yeah, I am," he nodded, when something caught his eye to the side of the metal man, "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion. And here it comes!"

The Cyberman turned as a group of people dressed in black suits with face masks and guns appeared out of nowhere.

~8~

Angel suddenly fell against a table, crying out in pain, her hand flying to brace herself on it, the other pressing to her temple as she felt like her mind had been _ripped_ open.

~8~

The soldiers took aim and fired at the Cybers, destroying them.

The Doctor dove out of the way and hid in a corner as the Cyber-Leader advanced, only to get its head shot off.

"Doctor, good to see you again," a man said, his voice muffled. He pulled off his helmet to reveal Jake!

"Jake?!" the Doctor's eyes widened.

"The Cybermen came through from one world to another, and so did we," he grinned as the Doctor stared, not looking _at all_ pleased with this turn in the situation.

~8~

"What is it?" Rose gasped as she and Mickey lurched to Angel's side as she gripped her head with both hands now, the searing pain _just_ starting to fade.

"I don't know…" she breathed heavily, closing her eyes shut as though it would help.

"You alright?" Mickey frowned, reaching out to steady her.

Angel swallowed hard, nodding, "I'll be fine," she offered him a small smile, "Don't worry about me."

~8~

A Cyber stopped in the middle of dragging Jackie to be upgraded and turned to its squad, "Cyber-Leader One has been terminated."

"Explain, download shared files," the second Cyberman stepped up.

Jackie slowly started backing up, using this as a time to escape.

"I will be upgraded to Cyber-Leader."

Jackie turned and dashed off down a back stair as fast as she could.

~8~

"Defend this room," Jake ordered his group, "Chrissie, monitor communications," the Doctor pulled on his 3D specs and looked at them, "Kill one Cyber-Leader and they just download into another. Move!" the group hurried out, leaving the Doctor and Jake alone.

"You can't just…just…just HOP from one world to another," the Doctor told him, "You CAN'T!"

"We just did," he smiled, "With these," he tossed him what looked like a yellow button on a chain.

"But that's impossible. You can't _have_ this sort of technology."

"We've got our _own_ version of Torchwood. They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?"

"NO!" the Doctor yelled, for more reasons than _just_ what the hopping did to the Universe, but it was too late, they disappeared.

~8~

"God," Angel nearly collapsed to her knees on the ground, only Mickey's arms keeping her from breaking her kneecaps on the fall, having caught her and lowered her.

This time the pain in her head was much, _much_ worse as it was also coupled by a strain in her hearts. She knew, whatever was going on, the Doctor had gotten himself into it. She couldn't hear him, at all, not even _sense_ him as a Time Lady…it was like he'd _died_ …and it _hurt_ …

~8~

The Doctor and Jake reappeared in a parallel Torchwood Rift Room, the Doctor falling to his knees as he pressed a hand to his hearts, feeling the same agonizing emptiness and searing pain as Angel was, "You alright?" Jake rushed to his side, helping him stand.

This was _not_ good, this was not good _at all_ , he realized. Mid-Mating process especially when their sensation of the other Time Lord was more heightened. The tentative bond was so _fragile_ , so _delicate_ …and it felt like it wasn't just being strained, but _snapped_. She wasn't here. _Angel_ wasn't there. He couldn't _feel_ her at all.

God it _hurt_...it hurt so _badly_...he felt like he couldn't _breathe_...

"Where are we?" the Doctor strained, struggling to get up with Jake supporting him, the boy taking the button from him in the process to get a better grip.

"Parallel Earth, parallel Torchwood. Except we found out what the institute was doing and the People's Republic took control."

"I've gotta get back," the Doctor shouted urgently, turning to the wall as though it might have the answers, the path back to his Earth, "Angel is in danger, and Rose and her mother!"

"That'd be Jackie," Pete Tyler said, stepping into the room with two soldiers, the Doctor looked over at him, "My wife in a parallel Universe. And as for you, Doctor, at least this time I know who you are," he looked around a moment, "Where's Angel?"

"Back there!" he snapped, rounding on the man, stalking over to him, " _That's_ why I've gotta get back. Right _now_."

"No," Pete shook his head, seemingly unperturbed by the Doctor's shouting, " _You're_ not in charge here. This is _our_ world, _not_ yours. And you're gonna _listen_ for once."

The Doctor looked at him darkly.

~8~

"Angel, really, are you alright?" Rose asked, eyeing Angel in concern as she crouched down in front of her, the woman, this time though, shook her head.

"I could transport out of here and get help," Mickey told them, kneeling beside Angel as he showed her and Rose a yellow button, Rajesh peering down at it from where he stood before them, "But it only carries one and I'm _not_ leaving either of you."

"You'd follow me anywhere," Rose smiled gently over at him as she moved to sit beside Angel, "What did I do to you all those years ago?"

"Well it's not just _you_ ," Mickey smirked, "Not anymore," he nodded to himself, "Learned a long time ago that there's room for more than one person in the human heart," he put an arm around Angel's shoulders, squeezing her a little, "Besides, I can't leave my Time Lady anymore than you could leave your Time Lord. We companions stick by our pilots, don't we?"

Rose laughed at that, nodding whole heartedly.

Angel took the button, looking at it, "Well that explains it…"

"Explains what?" Rajesh looked at her, confused by the significance of the button.

"I couldn't sense the Cybermen because they weren't _in_ this world. They were in _yours_ Mickey," she looked at him, "Trying to break through but not here _yet_ ," she handed him the button back, "I think the Doctor's there now too..."

"He is?" Mickey's eyes widened as he moved back to put the button in his pocket.

"I can't feel him," Angel nodded sadly, rubbing her chest absently, "I'm cut off, completely cut off," Rose quickly put an arm around the girl as well, hearing the tears in her voice.

"Don't worry," Mickey reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, "You've got all of us, and I know I'm not going anywhere."

Angel smiled at him, putting her hand over his on her shoulder, "You know…you're the bravest human I have _ever_ met. And Mickey?" he looked at her, "I'm proud of you. I am _so_ _proud_ of you."

He beamed, his eyes filling with just a hint of tears, she'd said it before, when he'd decided to stay in the other reality, he hadn't fully believed her then, but…he was getting there, he was proud of himself for quite a lot of things he'd managed to do in the parallel world. His gaze though drifted to the Daleks, "Well, I can't think what the _Daleks_ need with me. I'm nothing to _them_."

"You _could_ be..." Rose cut in, thinking, "Whatever's inside that Ark is waking up and I've seen this happen before. The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was _dying_. But I touched it. The moment I did that...I brought it back to life."

"...and then it killed me," Angel added.

"You're never gonna let that go are you?" Rose asked her, half-joking, half-serious.

"Rose, ever notice how _every time_ you _defended_ something, it _killed_ me in the end?" Angel asked, also half-joking, half-serious, "Literally. First the Dalek, then the Devil…"

"The Devil?" Mickey's eyes widened.

"It's a LONG story," Angel smiled, letting Mickey know that, while they didn't have the time or focus to divert to telling the story, she WOULD tell him it eventually.

He nodded, "I've got a few for you as well."

"That adventure...that's why I regenerated."

"And I said I was sorry like a hundred times," Rose rolled her eyes dramatically.

Angel laughed and nudged her. She had no hard feelings about regeneration, when it came to _her_ at least. The way she saw it, each regeneration had brought her something new. The first one, had brought her to the Doctor, the second had brought her more confidence in feeling like she just might be worthy of him. In terms of regeneration and the Doctor though, she knew she was being a little bit of a hypocrite in not wanting him to regenerate. When she saw him regenerate into his new body, all she had thought was that 9 had died. She'd affectionately dubbed his last self simply '9,' for his 9th incarnation, it was a way to differentiate between his past selves and also to make them unique. Yes, she loved 10 just as much as she did 9, and she knew 9 was still alive through 10, still the same man, but...the fact that '9' had died, that _hurt_. Knowing one had died to get the other...she couldn't bear the thought that, one day, someone might try to kill the Doctor mid-regeneration, interrupting the cycle like that could mean _permanent_ death and that...that was her _worst_ nightmare.

Far worse than her thoughts that she might not be good enough for him.

Far worse than her still lingering fear of the dark.

Nothing was worse than the thought of losing him.

"Anyway…" Rose continued, pulling Angel from her darkening thoughts, "The Doctor said when you travel in time in the TARDIS, you soak up all this...um...background radiation. It's harmless, it's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."

"I love it when you talk technical," Mickey quipped.

"Shut up," Rose smirked, "If the Daleks have got something inside that thing that needs waking up..."

"They need _you_."

"YOU'VE travelled in time," Angel told him.

"But _I_ haven't," Rajesh cut in, "Why would they keep _me_ alive?"

"'Cos I want them to. Point is, they need _me_ to open it, they'd prefer a Time Lord do it compared to a human, and if they want _that_ then they need to be careful, they _can't_ get me angry enough to refuse or…"

"Or what?" Mickey frowned.

"Or they exterminate me and move onto Rose and you. As long as I'm alive Rajesh, you're safe."

"But why would they build something they can't open themselves?"

"The technology is stolen," the first Dalek exclaimed, having heard the last bit of their conversation, "The Ark is not of Dalek design."

"Then who built it?" Rose asked.

"The Time Lords," Angel answered. She could vaguely recognize the tech and the overall Ark felt familiar in only a way things from Gallifrey could. _That_ was why they needed her, they couldn't be sure that the Ark would open for a human, but they KNEW it would for the ones who built it, a Time Lord.

"This is all that survives of their Home World," the Dalek stated as it returned to circling the Ark.

"What's inside?" Rose looked at Angel.

"The future," the Daleks called.

"I dunno," Angel shook her head, "But whatever it is…it's _not_ good."

The group looked over and stared at the Ark in apprehension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh spaghettios, lol. What's wrong/happening with Angel? Well...it'll definitely have something to do with her abilities/powers...and that's all I'll say for that :) But...threw in just a tiny hint of angry Angel here, not quite on par with 'Oncoming Storm' level fury but still, a little bit of anger for Angel :) We've also got some foreshadowing popping up here, and not just in terms of the Doctor in later seasons but also Angel's own story in relation to the show. Her worst fear? Will that be in her room? Hmm...not saying exactly what she'll see in her room for God Complex, I will say though that, in my Sneak Peeks, whatever was there brought AMY to tears as well :)
> 
> Ohhh...Rose and Mickey saw the Vortex in Angel. Wonder what will come of that...will the Doctor find out? Will the two even get a chance to tell him? I mean, they ARE in the middle of a war...hmmm...I guess we'll find out :)
> 
> Yay! Rajesh is alive! I always felt a little bad for him, even though he worked for Torchwood, the way he died was just terrible. At least Yvonne, in the end, remained a little alive where as Rajesh...urgh. I winced at his death. And Angel can't exactly be in two places at once, she couldn't save Yvonne, but at least she managed to help Rajesh.


	44. Doomsday: Crossfire

The Doctor was pressed up against the white expanse of wall in the parallel Torchwood, his eyes closed in concentration, seeming as though he were trying to press himself back through it as Pete stood behind him, "When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen," Pete said, "So we sealed them inside the factories."

"Except people _argued_ ," Jake added as the Doctor stepped back, staring at the wall, keeping his back to the men, he could feel it inside him, that rage that came with others trying to keep him from Angel, if he looked at them now...he'd lash out. And they had the buttons that could get him back to her, "Said they were living. We should HELP them."

"And the debate went on. But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished."

"When was this?" the Doctor asked, turning and heading to the window, trying to keep his hands unclenched but they just kept forming into fists, the skin of his scarred knuckles stretching, making the white scars stand out.

"Three years ago."

"It's taken them three years to cross the Void, but you can pop to and fro in a second. Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once."

"Yeah, Mickey said you'd rattle off that sort of stuff."

"Oh, where is the Mickey-boy?" he looked around.

Mickey, he needed Mickey.

Well, he never thought he'd ever feel THAT way before.

But Mickey would understand, Mickey would support him, Mickey would help him get back to Angel. He had to, as Angel's companion, he knew Mickey would do all he could to help her even if it meant defying his new team. Mickey had grown into a remarkable man in the short time he'd spent travelling with them, and he knew Angel had a large hand in that. He'd seen the relationship blooming between the two, a strong, solid friendship. He knew Mickey would do anything to help Angel, to protect her, and she must be feeling the strain of the Mating connection being pulled so far across parallel worlds. He was just barely keeping himself together, barely remaining standing, remaining focused. And Angel...she'd always been more sensitive to things like that, her feelings and all.

He needed her, terribly.

And, he supposed, perhaps _that_ was why he needed Mickey around. He needed _something_ of Angel there, something of hers, and Mickey was HER companion, the closest he could get to the woman at this point.

He could feel himself starting to shake. God he just wanted to get _back_ to her and these humans were standing in his way. He closed his eyes, trying to will back the dark thoughts that were being directed at the humans.

"He went ahead first," Pete nodded, "Any chance to see Angel again, to go and find Miss Rose Tyler."

"She's your daughter," the Doctor mumbled, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he stood at the window.

"She's not mine. She's the child of a dead man," he looked out at a peaceful world through the window, "Look at it. A world of peace. They're calling this 'The Golden Age.'"

The Doctor scoffed, feeling like he was anything but peaceful right now, "Who's President now?"

"A woman called Harriet Jones."

The Doctor let out a breath, "Keep an eye on her."

"But it's a lie. Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The ice caps are melting. They're saying all this is gonna be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?"

"No."

"It's the breach."

"I've been trying to _tell_ you," the Doctor turned to them, irritated, his eyes flashing dangerously, these humans just kept talking, he needed to get back to Angel, now, and they were just babbling on and on, not seeming to notice his responses getting shorter and shorter. Right now he needed them to shut up, give him one of the buttons, and let him return to his own world before his frantic hearts gave out, "Travel between parallel worlds is impossible. The Daleks broke down the walls with the Sphere..."

"Daleks?"

"Then Cybermen travelled across. Now you lot, those disks, every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the Universe. This planet is starting to boil. Keep going and BOTH worlds will fall into the Void!"

He was getting angry now. The more he thought about what was happening, the more he realized just how much danger Angel was in, trapped in the real world, without him. Here, things were calm enough. But Angel...she was trapped in an institute designed to battle and study aliens, surrounded by Cybermen, the enemy that had killed her mother, held hostage by Daleks, their worst enemies, helpless in a world that was an inch away from being sucked into Hell.

And it was all these humans' fault!

One more word, _one more_ idiotic statement, and he'd...

"But you can stop it, the famous Doctor and his Mate..." Pete smirked, not seeming to notice the man's growing ire, "You can seal the breach?"

The Doctor turned a dark look on him, breathing heavily at the implication of what that would mean, "Leaving five million Cybermen stranded on _my_ Earth? With ANGEL?!"

"That's _your_ problem. I'm protecting _this_ world, and this world _only_."

The Doctor suddenly reached out and grabbed Pete by the lapels of his suit, spinning him to the side, making him stumble, as he shoved them man against the wall, his teeth bared, "And what about MY world?" he nearly spat, furious, "What about _Angel_? You would have me condemn her, my MATE, for _you_?" he shook his head, his grip on the man tightening, "You listen to me Pete Tyler, and you listen _very_ carefully, I will NEVER put Angel in that situation. I will NEVER choose another over her. She is more important to me than you could ever _begin_ to imagine. If you want this world saved, you will send me back to my world, to Angel, and THEN we'll talk about saving BOTH worlds."

Pete swallowed hard, "Jake," he called, "Give him a teleport."

The Doctor shoved Pete back as he stepped away, holding a hand out to Jake, not taking his eyes off Pete even as the man straightened his jacket, trying to seem like he wasn't affected by the dark threat in the Doctor's voice and eyes.

"So you'll help us?" Jake asked hesitantly, completely startled by the force the Doctor had shown.

The Doctor took a breath, just a bit calmer now that he had a way to get back to Angel securely in his hand, "Fighting the fight," he muttered, "As Mickey chose to do. Angel was so proud of him for choosing this world. I will not see it destroyed either," he decided, anything dear to Angel was worth protecting. Though, thinking on that, Rose was important to her as well, and a version of Rose's father was still alive here. He looked at Pete, "There is a chance...back on my world...Jackie Tyler might still be alive."

"My wife died," Pete stated.

"Her husband died."

"There's more important things at stake."

"Yes," he nodded, looking at the button, "There is. We need to close the breach, stop the Cybermen, defeat the Daleks, rescue Angel, in reverse order."

Jake whistled but nodded, "We can do it."

Pete agreed, "We've seen you and Angel do incredible things Doctor."

The Doctor gave a small smile at the mention of Angel, clutching the button, he'd waited long enough to get back to her, "That's all I need, Angel," he nodded, "Time to go!" he pressed the button.

~8~

"Not again!" Angel groaned, grabbing her head, though the pain was far less...well, still terrible in her mind, but her hearts were singing...as she felt the stirrings of the Mating bond with the Doctor snap back into place, if a tiny bit stronger from the separation than before, "Oh thank God…" she breathed, rubbing her hearts, feeling his presence as a Time Lord there again. She still couldn't hear his mind in hers, the Sphere still active, but she could feel that he was back, he'd come back, he was safe and alive and that was all she needed to know.

~8~

The Doctor took a deep breath as they appeared back in the Torchwood Rift Room, he closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief smile as he felt the pull on his soul at the return of his sensation of Angel, "I'm coming," he promised her under his breath, placing a hand on his chest a moment, before the relief at feeling her once more faded and the Mating instinct reminded him that the feeling wasn't enough, not while she was in danger, he needed to be WITH her.

"First of all," his eyes snapped open and he dashed to the phone, "I need to get in contact..."

"You two, guard to door," Jake ordered two guards as Pete watched the Doctor type a number in.

"Help me!" Jackie picked up, "Oh, my God, help me."

"Jackie, you're alive!" the Doctor shouted, actually feeling a little relieved at that fact, he knew Angel liked Jackie and if anything had happened to the woman who was like a psuedo-mother to her she'd be devastated, "Listen…" he tried to shush her but she just screeched at him.

"They tried to download me but I ran away!"

"Listen, tell me, where are you?"

"I don't know! Staircase."

"Yeah, which one? Is there any…any sort of sign? Anything to identify it?"

"Yes! A fire extinguisher!"

"Yeah, _that_ helps..."

"Oh, wait a minute, it says 'N3.'"

"North corner, staircase 3. Just keep low, we're trying our best."

"No, don't leave me!"

"I've gotta go, I'm sorry," he put the phone down, ending the call, and turned around to Pete, "Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler."

"She's _not_ my wife," Pete argued.

"I was at the wedding," the Doctor grinned, eyeing him, "You got her name wrong," he tsked before getting back on point and turned, pulling Jake's gun from him, "Now then, Jake-y boy, if I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide."

"What's polycarbide?" Jake shook his head.

He smiled darkly, "Skin of a Dalek."

~8~

A white sheet of A4 paper attached to a stick waved out around the corner of a hallway, swaying comically as the Doctor tried surrendering. He popped out a moment later and looked at the Cybermen down the hall, "Sorry," he called as they looked at him, "No white flag. I only had a sheet of A4. Same difference."

"Do you surrender?" the Cybermen turned and raised a fist, ready to fire should his answer be 'no.'

"I surrender," the Doctor nodded, marching down the hall to meet them, "Unto you," he smirked, "A _very_ good idea."

~8~

The third Dalek backed away from the Genesis Ark, "Final stage of awakening."

The first one spun around to face Angel, "The Time Lady's handprint will open the Ark."

"No," Angel shook her head, trying to buy them time. For what, she had no idea, but she knew something was coming, no...she knew _the Doctor_ was coming, she just needed more time. She didn't have to be a precog to know it. The Doctor had proven he would always come for her, he would always save her, no matter what, no matter the odds, he would find her again. He was coming, of that she was sure, she just had to hold off a little longer, just till he could get there.

"Obey or the humans will die," it ordered, spinning its laser arm at the three behind her.

Angel sighed, knowing they'd found her weakness, realized the true value of the humans she'd insisted on them keeping alive, "I can't let them hurt you…" she whispered, walking towards the Ark.

"Angel don't!" Mickey shouted, trying to move forward to stop him but the second Dalek wheeled forward, its laswer arm aimed at him till he put his hands up in surrender.

"Place your hand upon the casket," the first Dalek ordered, its eyestalk having spun to watch her carefully, they did not trust the Time Lords to any degree.

"I know!" Angel yelled at it, rubbing her head, trying to think of some way to get them all out of this.

"Angel, please," Rose breathed, terrified of what could be in the Ark, of what could be so important that the _Daleks_ felt it had to be protected at any cost.

"You can't let them open that thing," Rajesh tried as well.

"I _can't_ let them hurt you either," Angel shook her head, taking a breath, and reaching out a hand to the Ark...

Rose quickly stepped forward, before Angel, pulling her back, "You sure you want HER to open it?" she asked the Daleks.

"Rose what are you _doing_?"

"No idea," she admitted quietly, before turning to the Daleks, "If you um...escaped the Time War...don't you want to know what happened?"

"Place your hand…" the first Dalek turned to Angel, ignoring Rose.

"What happened to the Emperor!" Rose shouted.

The Daleks were silent a moment, before the first one turned away from Angel and to Rose, "The Emperor survived?"

Rose smirked, "'Til he met Angel...she met the Emperor. And she took the Time Vortex and poured it into his head and turned him into _stone_ , him and his _entire_ fleet. Do you _get_ that? The God of all Daleks...and _she_ destroyed him," she started laughing.

"Then she will be EXTERMINATED!" the first Dalek shouted, pointing its laser at Angel as Rose's laughter died.

Angel gasped, staring in wide eyed horror as the Dalek's laser powered up…

"Do that and you _won't_ like what happens next," a voice called, the threat and promise clear. They turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the Sphere Chamber, his hands in his pockets, 3D specs on, looking for all the world as though he hadn't a care in the world, but those who knew him could see the stiffness in his stance, the the near predatory focus he had on the Daleks, the power radiating off him.

"Alert, alert, you are the Doctor!" the first Dalek cried.

The Doctor just strode into the room and over to Angel, his attention now shifted to her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly, smiling as he finally heard her in his mind once more now that he was in the Sphere Chamber as well. He pulled her closer still, burying his nose in her hair, taking in her scent, basking in the feel of her arms moving around him, feeling her pressed against him, whole and solid and safe. His hearts finally started to slow, his muscles relaxing, able to _breathe_ again.

He pulled away, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers gently stroking her cheek as he smiled at her, gazing softly upon her, drinking in her image, feeling like he hadn't seen her in years. And, you know what, she always seemed more beautiful each and every time he looked upon her. And that sparkle in her eyes, that relieved smile, that positively happy expression on her face at seeing him again...his hearts melted.

"Sensors report he is unarmed," Dalek Thay stated, having scanned the Doctor.

"That's me," the Doctor glanced over at the Daleks, "Always."

"Then you are powerless!" the first Dalek said.

" _Not_ me," he shook his head, taking off his specs, "Never," he looked over at Rose, wrapping an arm around Angel's waist, "How are you?"

"Oh, same old, you know," she grinned.

"Good! And Mickity-McMickey!" he bashed his fist with Mickey's, "Nice to see ya!"

"And you, boss," Mickey smiled, relieved to see him, but not because the man probably had some trick up his sleeve that would save them, but because he knew how worried Angel had been for her Mate, to have him back beside her...he could already see her cheering.

"Rajesh," the Doctor greeted, just a bit cooler than the others, eyeing the Torchwood staff member.

"Doctor," Rajesh mumbled, feeling incredibly guilty for what was happening, the Sphere had been HIS project, much like the Ghost Shift had been Yvonne's, and the Daleks had been hiding in it. He felt responsible for that nightmare being released, given Angel's reaction, small snippets he'd gathered from what she said, the Daleks were terrible enemies of the Time Lords.

"Social interaction will cease!" the second Dalek shouted.

"How did you survive the Time War?" the first Dalek turned to the Doctor.

"By fighting," the Doctor replied, "On the front line. I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that."

"Really?" Angel looked up at him, "I was there too."

He laughed at that, "Well look at that," he smiled, dropping a kiss onto her head, knowing that had truly been a terrible battle, before turning to the Daleks, "But you lot ran away!"

"We had to survive," the first Dalek replied.

"The last four Daleks in existence. So what's so special about YOU?"

"Doctor, they've got _names_ ," Rose told him quietly, "Angel said something like a...Cult of Skaro?"

"I am Dalek Thay," Thay introduced as the other three followed suit.

"Dalek Sec."

"Dalek Jast."

"Dalek Caan."

"Oh!" the Doctor eyed them, "The Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend."

"Me too," Angel remarked, shifting uncomfortably, they were the worst of the worst in terms of Daleks, truly...just...monsters.

"Who are they?" Rajesh shook his head, Angel hadn't really said, hadn't really wanted to say they'd all gathered.

"A secret order," the Doctor replied, "Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have _names_ ," he shook his head, looking at them distastefully, "All to find new ways of _killing_."

"But that thing, they said it was _yours_ ," Mickey gestured to the Ark, "I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?"

"I don't know. Never seen it before."

"Me either," Angel agreed.

"But it's...Time Lord," Rajesh frowned, not sure how the aliens could _not_ know what was in something that came from their home planet.

"Both sides had secrets," Angel shrugged.

"What is it?" the Doctor turned to the Daleks, "What have you done?"

"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy," Sec replied.

"What does _that_ mean? What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?"

"Rose said one touch from a time traveler will wake it up," Rajesh mumbled.

"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do," the Doctor looked at the metaltron aliens, moving over, keeping Angel behind him and out of their line of vision and fire, to lean and look straight into their eyestalk, " _Touch_. Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything...ever...from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage," he dropped his volume to a whisper, a dark quality entering his voice, "Completely alone. And that explains your voice. No wonder you _scream_."

Angel reached out and took the Doctor's hand, sensing more than _just_ a desire to _scare_ them a little.

"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Sec shouted.

The Doctor let out a contemptuous laugh, "The Doctor will _not_. You _threatened_ my _Mate_ , you're lucky to still be alive right now," by the time he had finished speaking, he was no longer joking, not at all.

"You have no way of resisting," Sec stated, though he had wheeled back some at the threat.

"Well...you got me there. Although...there is always this," he held up the sonic.

"A sonic probe?"

"That's 'screwdriver.'"

"It is harmless!"

"Oh yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it _does_ do, it is VERY good at opening doors," he turned the sonic on and immediately the doors to the Sphere Chamber exploded inwards. Jake and his men, along with a few Cybers, leapt into the room, firing at the Daleks.

"Delete!" the Cybermen cried, "Delete! Delete! Delete!"

"Alert!" Caan shouted as he was struck by Jake's upgraded weapon, "Casing impact, casing impact!"

The Doctor and Angel rushed for the door, Angel pulling him this way and that to avoid the blasts, "Rose, Mickey, get out!" Angel shouted as Rose made for the door, only to stumble.

"Fire power insufficient!" Sec reported, "Fire power insufficient!"

Suddenly Rose was helped to her feet by Pete. She was surprised, seeing him there, but obviously they had little time for that. He pulled her off and ran for the door as Mickey picked up a fallen gun and started firing away at the Daleks, more than capable of holding his own now, of facing down an enemy trying to hurt the people he cared about, of taking a stand.

"Daleks will be deleted," the Cybers called, "Delete! Delete!"

The Doctor and Angel reached out, helping Rose and Pete to the door, "Mickey, come on!" Rose cried.

"Adapt to weaponry!" Thay ordered.

"Fire power restored!" Sec shouted and the Daleks started firing at the Cybers, able to destroy them now.

Rajesh managed to reach the doors, Jake covering him as he backed out with the man, but Mickey, losing his footing, fell and touched the Ark. He dashed to the door.

"Cybermen primary target."

Mickey stumbled out into the hallway, looking at his hand when another set of pale hands took his own in theirs. He looked up to see Angel looking at it, and he realized, she _knew_ , her feelings must have been back now that they were out of the Sphere's field, she knew what happened, what he'd done.

"I'm sorry," he breathed as the rest of Jake's men slipped through the doors, closing them and sealing the Daleks and Cybers inside.

~8~

"Jake, check the stairwell," the Doctor called as they ran down the hall, "Rajesh find a way out! The rest of you, come on!"

~8~

The Daleks finished off the last two Cybermen in the room when the Ark suddenly started pouring out steam, "Cybermen have been exterminated," Sec cheered, "Daleks are supreme."

"The Genesis Ark is primed," Jast remarked.

"The Ark needs area of thirteen square miles," Sec replied, "Move!"

The Ark glided across the floor, the Daleks surrounding it.

"Genesis Ark mobile!" Jast reported.

~8~

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Mickey explained to the Doctor what had happened with the Ark.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by _force_ ," the Doctor told him, "To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a _favor_!" he kissed the top of Mickey's head, "Now, run!"

"This way!" Angel shouted, taking the lead down a corridor.

"No, the other way," the Doctor nodded towards the stairs beside them.

"Doctor," Angel stopped, turning to him, "Trust me, we NEED to go _this_ way."

He looked at her a moment longer when he heard it, '… _No, but you can't! Please…_ ' Jackie was whimpering, pleading with someone in her mind, the small blip of the future having hit her in all the chaos of escaping the Sphere Chamber before. He nodded, rushing to take her hand as they took off.

~8~

Jackie hurried down the stairs, coming to an abrupt halt as the Cybermen approached from the bottom. She ran back up and out of the stairwell, starting down a corridor, only to come face-to-face with two Cybermen, "You will be upgraded," the Cyberman stated.

"No, but you can't!" Jackie whimpered, "Please…"

Suddenly the Cybers were shot from behind, falling to the ground, dead, to reveal Pete aiming a gun behind them. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey, and Angel standing behind him.

She squinted through the smoke clouding him till she saw, "Pete!" she gasped, seeing him clearly.

"Hello, Jacks," Pete greeted.

"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why _him_?"

"I'm not a ghost."

"But you're _dead_. You died _twenty years_ ago, Pete."

"It's Pete from a different Universe," the Doctor stepped forward, "There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where…"

"Oh, you can shut up," Jackie waved him off. The Doctor stepped back in between Angel and Mickey as Jackie's attention returned to Pete, "Oh...you look old."

"You don't," Pete smiled.

"How can you be standing there?"

"Just got lucky...lived my life. You were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or..."

"There was never anyone else. Twenty years, though. Look at me, I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself."

"Brought HER up," he glanced at Rose, "Rose Tyler. That's not bad."

"Yeah."

"In my world, it worked. All those daft little plans of mine. They worked. Made me rich."

"I don't care about that…how rich?"

"Very."

"I don't care about that…how very?"

Pete laughed, "Thing is though, Jacks, you're...you're _not_ my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both..." Jackie nodded, looking at him staring at her, both of them fighting it, "You know, it's just sort of..." he sighed, giving in and tossing the gun down, "Oh, come here," they ran towards each other, meeting in the middle as Jackie started to cry, Pete sweeping her off her feet in a huge hug.

Angel stepped beside Rose, putting an arm around her shoulders, resting her head to the side of Rose's as the girl watched her parents reunite. Rose looked at her a moment later, "Did you know this would happen?"

Angel just smiled, "I had a feeling."

Rose laughed, turning to hug her tightly.

~8~

The Daleks burst through the doors of the factory floor to see a row for Cybermen, "Exterminate!" Sec called.

"Delete!" the Cybermen replied.

The two opposing sides fired at each other, the Cybermen's rays bouncing off the Dalek's armor while the Dalek's exterminator beams did the job. Cries of 'Delete' and 'Exterminate' filled the air along with shouts from the leftover soldiers trying to take out both sides.

Until the Cyberman call went out, "Emergency, all units will converge on the Torchwood Tower."

~8~

All the Cybermen in the streets marched out onto the road as one and turned in the direction of Canary Warf hearing the cry, "Repeat, all Cybermen to Torchwood."

The frightened families crept outside their houses, watching the Cybermen leave.

~8~

The Doctor opened the door to the battle between the Cybers and Daleks taking place on the factory floor, to peer through them, waiting for the right moment to enter. He dove into the fray as Angel and Rose watched anxiously. He managed to dodge the lasers and make his way over to the Magnaclamps, pulling them back and using them to deflect the rays as he backed out, tripping over a Cyberman's body.

"Come on, please," Rose whispered as Angel reached out and grabbed her hand, both of them worried for him.

The Doctor quickly got to his feet and slipped through the door to safety. Rose closed the door after him while he handed the clamps to Angel. He turned and peered through the door once more, this time with the 3D specs on.

"Override roof mechanism," Sec called and the roof began to open slowly, "El-ev-ate."

"What're they doing?" Rose eyed them, "Why'd they need to get outside?!"

"Time Lord science…WHAT Time Lord science?" the Doctor shook his head, baffled, pulling off his specs and looking at Angel, who looked just as confused, "What is it?" they watched as Sec elevated through the ceiling and into the open air before slamming the door shut, "We've gotta see what it's doing, we've gotta go back up! Come on! All of you! Top floor!"

They ran down the hall as Jackie shouted, "That's 45 floors up! Believe me, I've done 'em all."

"We could always take the lift..." Jake called, popping his head out of the lift as they ran past.

~8~

Sec rose into the air of Canary Wharf, "The Genesis Ark will open!"

And, slowly, the Ark did just that, to reveal a Dalek inside as it began to spin around.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel with the rest finally stepped out of the lift on the top floor, rushing to Yvonne's office as Angel dumped the clamps on her desk. They stared out the window as the Ark spun, shooting Dalek after Dalek out of it.

"Time Lord science..." Angel breathed, "It's bigger on the inside."

"Did Time Lords put those Daleks in there?" Mickey asked, looking at the two of them, "What for?"

"It's a prison ship," the Doctor realized.

"How many Daleks?" Rose asked.

" _Millions_."

~8~

Cybermen marched through the street as the Daleks flew about, all stopping as one and firing up into the air at them, having no effect at all.

"Exterminate all life forms below!" Sec ordered, "Ex-ter-min-ate!"

The Daleks fired at the Cybers, the people running for cover.

~8~

"I'm sorry, but you've had it," Pete strode away from the window, "This world's gonna crash and _burn_. There's _nothing_ we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this," he gave her one of the yellow buttons.

"But they're destroying the City!" Jackie called.

Pete turned to her again, affectionate, "I'd forgotten you could argue," he looped the button around her neck himself, "It's not just London, it's the whole world," he cupped her face in his hands, "But there's another world, just _waiting_ for you, Jacks. And it's _safe_. As long as the Doctor and Angel close the breach. Doctor?"

The Doctor spun around from the window, wearing the 3D specs and a large grin, "Oh, we are ready!" he cheered, taking Angel's hand, "We've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood!" he pulled her over to computer, silently instructing her on the programs that needed to be run and checked, "Slam it down and close off both Universes."

"Reboot systems," the computer called as Angel got to work on it.

"But we can't just _leave_ ," Rose shook her head, "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"

The Doctor stood and looked at her, "They're part of the problem. And THAT makes them part of the solution. Oh yes!" Rose laughed, "Well?! Isn't anyone gonna ask?" he pointed at his eyes, at his 3D specs, "What is it with the glasses?"

"What is it with the glasses?" Angel asked, though already knowing why he was wearing them.

"I can SEE!" he cried as he turned to Rose to explain quickly, "That's what! 'Cos we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here! And you lot, one world to another, via the Void! Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!" he pressed the glasses onto Rose's nose, "I've been through it. Do you see?" he moved around so Rose could see the floating green particles around him.

"Reboot in three minutes."

"What is it?" Rose asked, laughing as she reached out, trying to touch them.

"Void stuff," he replied.

"Like um...background radiation!"

"That's it," the Doctor nodded, turning her around, "Look at the others," Rose looked over to see Jake, Mickey, Jackie, Pete, and Angel standing there, Jackie the only one _not_ surrounded by the material, "The only one who hasn't been through the Void...your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life."

"Oi!" Jackie glared.

The Doctor dashed over to the white wall, looking at it, as Angel slowly started to frown, stepping forward slowly, away from the computer, as Rose followed after the Doctor.

"The Daleks lived inside the Void," the Doctor continued, "They're _bristling_ with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void, end of verse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"PULLING them all in!" Rose cheered enthusiastically.

"Pulling them all in!"

"Sorry...what's...what's the Void?" Mickey called.

"The dead space," Angel explained, her gaze locked on the wall once more, "Though some people call it 'Hell.'"

"So...you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell," Mickey smiled, putting a button over his neck before glancing at Jake, "Man, I told you they were good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG...1(!) chapter left! Oh boy, I'm actually really sad that this story is going to be over! But at least we get another story to follow :)


	45. Doomsday: Pete's World

"But it's...like you said," Rose said quietly, looking down at herself, "We've ALL got Void stuff. Me too, 'cos we went to that parallel world," she flexed her fingers, seeing the particles there as well, before pulling her glasses off to see Angel and the Doctor standing before her, "We're _all_ contaminated. We'll get pulled in."

Angel nodded sadly, reaching out to take Rose's hands gently, "And that's why you have to go with them Rose."

"Reboot in two minutes," the computer reminded them.

Rose just stared at them, not understanding, not comprehending what they were trying to say.

"Back to Pete's world," the Doctor agreed before pointing at Pete, "Hey, we should call it that, 'Pete's World,'" and then back to Rose, "We're opening the Void, but only on _this_ side."

"Which means that you'll be safe on _that_ side," Angel finished.

She didn't want to do it. She really didn't. Rose was...Rose. She was the Doctor's first companion after the War, she was HER little sister of sorts. She was so important to the both of them to lose her...She shook her head, no, they wouldn't be losing her, they'd be _saving_ her. The Doctor had the vague outline of a plan for how to get the Daleks and Cybers locked away without them getting pulled in as well, but...they couldn't guarantee that it would work. She couldn't sense how it would go no matter how hard she tried.

As Mickey had once told her, psychics can't see everything.

She didn't know what would happen next, she honestly didn't. She only knew that, no matter what, she and the Doctor would face it together. If they both ended up being sucked into the Void, so be it, if it meant the Earth was safe once more, but they'd go together. If Rose was there too...they couldn't ensure her safety, not when they couldn't even promise each other it would be alright in the end. And they couldn't do that to Rose, they couldn't condemn her to suffering in an endless nothing with them, not when she had the chance to be with her family again in Pete's World, a world where not only was her mother alive, but her father too, and Mickey would be there as well.

"And then you close it?" Pete asked as Rose continued to stare, "For good?"

"The breach itself is _soaked_ in Void Stuff," the Doctor nodded, pulling his gaze away from Rose to turn to the man, "In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput."

"But you both stay on THIS side..." Rose said slowly, starting to realize what they were saying.

"But you'll get pulled in," Mickey frowned, just as concerned for the two Time Lords. Ok, he could admit it, he was a _little_ more concerned for Angel than the Doctor, but, in all fairness, SHE was his pilot. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her, not even for the sake of saving the world.

Angel squeezed Rose's hands before she turned and walked over to the Magnaclamps with the Doctor, "That's why the Doctor got these," she held one up.

"It's like you said before, we'll just have to hold on tight," he grinned down at her, gently putting a hand on the small of her back, he'd seen her focus on the clamps when they'd first walked around the factory floor. He didn't think she even realized she'd been staring at them, but he'd noticed, something about them had tugged her attention over and it gave him pause, made him think about what could be so important about them. Then she'd made that little comment, and now it all made sense, "Shouldn't be too hard for us eh?" he squeezed her a bit more to his side.

He knew it would be far too easy for him.

Jackie had once said that Mickey would just grab hold of what's passing and hold on for dear life, he was much the same. Once he became attached to something, he wouldn't _ever_ let it go, he wouldn't ever let Angel go.

"I'm supposed to go?" Rose called, walking over to them.

"Yeah."

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off."

"Yes," Angel swallowed hard, neither her not the Doctor wanting to talk about it.

She'd 'lost' Mickey to Pete's World, she wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not the Doctor, to lose a companion. She knew he'd lost his fair share in the past, to time, to danger, to death, to memory, or just to them moving on or him fearing too much for their safety or happiness. It was hard, but she knew they could survive past that pain though, the Doctor was proof that the world did go on, that it didn't do to dwell on the past, she'd learned that the hard way with the Cybers in Pete's World. And she was there now, they would be there for each other.

But that didn't mean they wanted to think about what would happen, about the loss that would follow.

"Forever," Rose laughed at how _insane_ that idea was, the thought that she could _ever_ leave her Time Lord or her sister, "That's _not_ gonna happen."

There was a crash from outside that shook the building, reminding them how little time they had left.

"We haven't got time to argue, the plan works, we go in," Pete ordered briskly, "You too. ALL of us."

"No, I'm not leaving them!"

"I'm not going without her," Jackie added.

"Oh, my God," Pete rolled his eyes, exasperated, "We're GOING."

"I've had twenty years _without_ you, so button it," Jackie glared, "I'm _not_ leaving her."

"You've GOT to," Rose turned to her.

"Well, that's tough!"

"Mum..."

"Reboot in one minute," Angel flinched at that announcement.

Time was playing tricks on her. In a way, time was moving too fast, their time with Rose flying by before they could savor it. In another, it was moving too slowly, dragging out the torturous knowledge that they'd have to give her up to Pete's World to protect her.

"I've had a life with you for nineteen years," Rose began, just barely managing to keep back her tears as she spoke what, quite possibly, might be her last words to her mother, "But then I met the Doctor and...and then I met Angel...and all the things I've seen them do for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole...stupid planet and every planet out there. They do it on their own, mum."

The Doctor and Angel watched Rose try to say goodbye to her mother with a terrible sadness in their eyes. Both knew how much Rose wanted her father back, how much she loved her mother. They couldn't help but think on how much they missed their own families, how they could never see them again…this was the right thing to do. They _couldn't_ pull Rose away from them, no matter what she may want or think. She had her family, her chance at being with them again, whole and complete, and they couldn't let her give that up for them.

Angel turned to the Doctor, slowly reaching into his pocket, and pulling out the yellow button. The Doctor had no idea how she knew it was there, leaving it up to her 'feelings' coming into play, but he looked down at it and over to Rose, already thinking of doing the same.

"But not anymore," Rose backed away as Pete slowly pulled out his own button, spotting the Doctor moving in closer to Rose, "'Cos now they've got _me_ ," the Doctor looped the chain around Rose's neck, "What're you…"

Pete pressed the button and they all vanished.

"Ah," Angel winced, half falling against the desk, half to her knees, pressing her hand to her forehead, trying to keep from falling completely by bracing her other hand on the desk.

Well, at least now she knew for sure why she kept getting headaches.

"What is it?" the Doctor looked at her, back at her side in an instant, taking her head in his hands, searching her eyes.

"My head," she strained, "Feels like...like it's being ripped apart."

"It's gotta be the teleports. They're ripping holes in time and space just using them to go back…I'm sorry," he pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so sorry."

He didn't know what it was, why she was getting those pains from the teleports. It couldn't have been because of being a Time Lady, HE wasn't getting them. But, then again, Angel was unlike any Time Lady he'd met before. For all he could tell, perhaps her feelings were deeper than he thought. Things like this hadn't happened before since he'd met her, he wouldn't know if she had always been sensitive to something like this happening.

"It's alright," she nodded, pulling away, her headache lessening already. She had to smile, he had magic kisses, she was sure of it, "We've got to get everything set up."

He nodded, turning back to the computer.

~8~

The others appeared in parallel Torchwood, Rose looking around a moment, "Oh no you don't. They're _not_ doing that to me again!" she muttered, pressing her button.

~8~

"God…" Angel winced, stumbling to lean against the wall she had been pulling papers off of to make space for the clamps, as Rose reappeared.

"I think this is the on switch…" Rose remarked, startling the Doctor and Angel.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, angry now, both at her coming back and for the stress it was putting on Angel's mind. He had never been kind to those who caused Angel pain in the past, that wouldn't change now, even if it was Rose.

~8~

Pete snatched Jackie's button away from her before she could press it, "But I've gotta go back!" she cried.

"The Doctor said every time we use one of these, it damages the whole world," Pete shouted, "Now THAT'S IT."

"She's your _daughter_!"

"She's _your_ daughter, not _mine_ ," he said firmly, walking away.

"Mickey, tell him!" Jackie looked at him desperately, seeing that Mickey still had his button, even as Pete stood before him, holding a hand out for it, "Tell him, Mickey! MICKEY!"

Mickey, though, stared down at his button. He could go back, right now, get Rose and bring her to 'Pete's World' as the Doctor had dubbed it. He _could_ do it. He could force Rose back with them. He could. He could bring her back.

But he wouldn't.

Because there was another part to the equation that came with using the teleports.

Angel.

"It hurts her," Mickey replied quietly, staring at the yellow button, "Angel, it _hurts_ her when we use them…" he looked up at Jackie, sorrowfully, his decision made, "I can't."

And with that, he handed his button over to Pete.

And that was when Jackie realized, Mickey had truly grown up. Gone was the little boy who clung to everything, standing in his place was a man who could stand on his own. He'd seemed to let go of Rose, finding a place in his heart for her, but also able to think of the consequences besides her. And after all Rose had done _to_ him and Angel had done _for_ him…she couldn't fault him for his choice.

To use that button, while it would save a woman he cared for, would also harm another he treasured.

~8~

The Doctor grabbed Rose roughly by the shoulders, leaning to look into her eyes as Angel moved to lean with her back against the wall, massaging her temples, "Once the breach collapses, that's IT!" he shook her slightly, "You will _never_ be able to see her again. Your own _mother_!"

"I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never gonna leave you, either of you," Rose said softlyly, her voice shaking. The Doctor just stared at her, before letting go of her forcefully, nearly making her stumble back, "So what can I do to help?"

Angel glanced over at the computer as it called, "Systems rebooted. Open access."

Rose held the Doctor's gaze as he glared at her.

Angel swallowed and looked away, "Those coordinates over there," she cut in, seeing Rose would never leave willingly, "The Doctor told me to set them all at six. Do that."

Rose turned to nod her thanks at Angel, only to see her looking back at her with disappointment in her eyes. She swallowed at that, it was almost worse than the Doctor's glare, and walked over to the computer.

"And hurry up," the Doctor added, very angry, before walking over to Angel and looking in her eyes, trying to assess how _bad_ these rips were damaging her. He really didn't know how to assess something like this, he could see into her mind, yes, she was keeping most doors open for him, it didn't seem like it would cause any long term damage...but the pain that appeared on her face each and every time they were used killed him to see.

Rose leaned over the computer, pulling the button from around her neck and glancing at the pair, nervous, she knew they were cross and very disappointed in her, something that affected her a great deal. But they were her best friends, they'd suffered so much, she didn't want them to have to suffer with losing her. She didn't ever want them to have to deal with anything on their own again…not if she could help it.

~8~

"Get away from me!" Jackie pushed Pete away as he tried to comfort her, breaking down into tears.

~8~

"Doctor!" Angel called, monitoring the Cybermen's progress from another computer, "The Cybers are coming!"

"How many floors down?" the Doctor looked over at her.

She looked back at him solemnly, "Just one."

~8~

"We will retreat through the breach," a Cyber in the lead up the steps commanded, "Regain the Home World."

Suddenly a Cyberman appeared at the top of the stairs, pointing a gun down at the others, "You will not pass," Yvonne's voice said with a slightly robotic tone to it.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"You will NOT pass," she repeated, pulling the trigger, destroying the Cybers in a bright ray of white light, "I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country…"

A single, black, oil tear streaked down from her eye.

~8~

The Doctor tapped in a command on Yvonne's laptop which called out, "Levers operational."

He grinned.

"That's more like it," Rose tried to smile, tried to lighten the mood, needing them to not be angry with her, "Bit of a smile! The old team..."

The Doctor glanced at her, his grin fading just a bit till it was a small smile, before striding past her to where Angel was setting the Magnaclamps to the highest level. He picked one up and tossed it to Rose, his smile growing a little, he had to admit, the team they made was fantastic, "The triumvirate, the three musketeers, Neapolitan ice cream!"

"Which one am I?" Rose laughed.

"Oh vanilla," Angel smiled, gesturing to her hair, which was red, and the Doctor's, which was brown, "Blondie."

"Why can't it be banana," the Doctor mock groaned before taking Angel's clamp and attached it to the wall on the left side of the room, "Press the red button!" he called to Rose as she set up on the other side.

~8~

"Breach active!" Sec shouted in the air, "It is the Doctor and his Mate! Exterminate them!"

The Daleks turned to swoop toward Torchwood Tower, crying 'Exterminate!'

~8~

"When it starts, just hold on tight," the Doctor told Rose, speaking very quickly, "Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are _steeped_ in Void Stuff. Are you ready?" he stepped back to the left side of the room, pulling Angel with him as Rose took the right.

After that whole fiasco with her running off to the Sphere Chamber and him getting transported to Pete's World...feeling that strain on the Mating bond...never again. He was not about to let her go, not now, not when this danger was looming. No, she was staying with him, in his arms, where he could protect her.

"So are they," Angel remarked, looking out the window as the Daleks flew towards them.

"Let's do it!" the Doctor called. They ran to the levers, pushing them upwards before hurrying back to the Magnaclamps.

"Online."

The area was filled with the white light once more, a strong wind sweeping out of it, sucking things in. The Daleks flew through the window, smashing through the glass as they were pulled in, back to the Void. Rose, Angel, and the Doctor held tight to the clamps, struggling.

"The breach is open!" the Doctor shouted, trying to shield Angel as much as he could from the force of the Void with his body, "Into the Void! Ha!"

~8~

Cybermen all over the world were lifted into the air and zoomed across the land to Torchwood Tower along with millions of Daleks, all shrieking, all powerless, as they hurtled into the Void.

~8~

"Emergency temporal shift!" Sec called out to the other members of the Cult, vanishing as the Ark was sucked into Torchwood as well.

~8~

Rose smiled across at the Doctor and Angel as they were billowed by the wind. Suddenly there was a small explosion of sparks and the lever on Rose's side moved back to the off position.

"Offline."

"Turn it on!" the Doctor cried desperately.

The suction started to lessen as Rose reached for the lever while still trying to hold onto the clamp, but it was just too far away. She strained to reach it before letting go and falling onto it. She whimpered, struggling to get it back up, "I've gotta get it upright!" she called, pushing it, groaning with effort, till it finally sat right.

"Online and locked."

"No…" Angel breathed, her eyes wide in fear as they watched Rose holding on to nothing but the lever as the suction increased.

"Rose, hold on!" the Doctor shouted desperately.

But the Void was too strong. It pulled on her, making it nearly impossible for her to hold on. She winced, crying out in effort.

"Hold on!" Angel screamed.

Rose moaned but just couldn't hold on any longer. With one last cry, her grip slipped and she was pulled back towards the Void. The Doctor and Angel screamed her name as she was pulled away...

When suddenly Pete appeared in the breach. She fell into his arms, glancing over her shoulder at the Time Lords before Pete hit the button and they vanished.

They stared at the place where the two disappeared as the breach closed itself down, the wind dying away.

~8~

"Take me back!" Rose shouted, hysterical, as she hammered against the white expanse of wall, "Take me _back_!" she broke down into tears of raw grief, slamming her fist against the wall, trying to break through, "Take me back..."

Pete pulled the button off his neck and looked at it, "It's stopped working. They did it. They closed the breach."

Rose sobbed, her hands pressed against the wall, "No…"

~8~

The Doctor and Angel walked slowly up to the wall, in shock. The Doctor pressed his head against the wall, his hand resting on it like he'd done to the other side. Angel did the same, but placed her hand over his, both of them holding onto the other as they just felt the wall.

~8~

Rose suddenly pressed her cheek against the wall, as though listening for them, her palm on the wall, staying that way a moment longer before sobbing.

~8~

Angel closed her eyes tightly, "I told her to _stay_ in the TARDIS," she muttered before she started crying.

The Doctor quickly pulled her into his arms, holding her as she sobbed. He pressed a kiss into her hair, realizing she had tried to prevent this, she HAD told Rose to stay in the TARDIS, to stay in there no matter what. It seemed like such a passing thing at the time, but now it held _so much more_ significance, if Rose had _listened_ …

He swallowed hard, pulling Angel to him even tighter as she wrapped her arms around him, the two mourning their loss.

~8~

Rose slowly let her hand fall from the wall, turning when she felt a hand on her shoulder, Mickey pulling her into a hug.

~8~

The Doctor put an arm around Angel's shoulder, leading her to walk away from the wall.

~8~

Rose leaned heavily on Mickey as he turned, his arm around her waist while she wiped the tears from her eyes, leading her over to Jackie and Pete, the two moving forward to hug her as well, unable to just watch her mourn without feeling the need to comfort her.

~8~

" **Rose…** " a ghost-like whisper that sounded far too much like the Doctor hissed.

~8~

_"Last night I had a dream," Rose recalled._

~8~

" _Rose..._ " the voice Angel whispered.

~8~

_"I heard voices and they were calling my name."_

~8~

A sleeping Rose sat bolt upright in bed, hearing a whisper echo to her, " **Rose** _...Rose... **Rose** …_"

~8~

Still in their pajamas, Rose explained to her mother and father and Mickey about what had happened, "I had a dream, um…they were calling me, and…"

~8~

_"I told mum and dad and Mickey. Anyone else would think I was mad. But not those three. They believed it. Because they've met the Doctor and Angel. So they listened to the dream. And that night, we packed up, got into dad's old Jeep, and off we went. Just like the dream said. Followed the voices...across the water...kept on driving hundreds and hundreds of miles. Because they're calling."_

~8~

" **Rose**..." the voices called as Rose walked onto a beach, Pete, Jackie, and Mickey standing behind by the Jeep, " _Rose_..."

~8~

_"Here I am at last. And this is the story of how I died."_

~8~

Rose came to a halt in the middle of the beach and stood there, waiting, wondering vaguely if this was what Angel felt like when she would get a 'feeling,' like she knew something was going to happen, but didn't know what it was. But then, a few feet away and to her left, the Doctor and Angel faded in, out of thin air.

She turned to them, her eyes widening, seeing them stranding there, slightly translucent, "Where are you?" Rose asked.

"In the TARDIS," Angel tried to smile, her voice sounding distant.

"There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close," the Doctor explained, "And it takes a lot of power to send this projection, we're in orbit around a supernova," he laughed a bit, "We're burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

"And, speaking of," Angel looked off to the side, "Mickey!" she called, waving him over.

Mickey looked stunned for just a moment that he was being included in this farewell message, before he shook his head, realizing it was 'idiotic' of him to think that Angel would ever ignore him and a chance to properly say goodbye. He jogged over quickly, taking Rose's hand, offering her his support, knowing this was hitting her far harder than him, she'd been with them longer, though he knew he'd miss them just as much as she would.

Rose smiled at him in thanks, squeezing his hand.

"You look like ghosts," Mickey told them, "Can you..."

"Hold on..." the Doctor aimed his sonic at something off to the side, the console they guessed, and they solidified a bit more, almost looking as if they were _really_ there.

Mickey and Rose walked closer, Rose lifting a hand toward them, "Can I t…"

Angel shook her head sadly, "You can't, we're just images, projections. You won't be able to touch us. I'm sorry."

"Can't you come through properly?" she asked them tearfully.

"The whole thing would fracture," the Doctor shook his head, "Two Universes would collapse."

"So?" Mickey asked, _half_ joking, nudging Rose as she nodded.

They smiled at the humans, all of them just looking at each other for a few moments before the Doctor looked around, "Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"

"Norway," Angel replied.

"She's right boss," Mickey nodded.

"Norway," he mumbled, "Right."

"About fifty miles out of Bergen," Rose specified, "It's called 'Dårlig Ulv Stranden.'"

"Dalek?" the Doctor's eyes widened in surprise.

"Dårl-IG," she pronounced, "It's Norwegian for 'bad.' This translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay,'" she laughed at the irony of that but calmed quickly, "How long have we got?" she asked, her voice cracking, squeezing Mickey's hand tightly.

"About two minutes…" Angel answered, tears in her eyes as she looked at Rose's heartbroken form, at Mickey trying to remain strong though she could see tears in his eyes as well.

Goodbyes were always so hard.

"I can't think of what to say!" Rose nearly laughed.

"Welcome to the club," Mickey joked.

"You've still got each other though," the Doctor nodded, before glancing over at the duo standing by the Jeep as Angel waved at them, Jackie waving back, " _And_ your _family_."

"There's five of us now," Rose told them, "Mum, dad, Mickey...and the baby."

"Don't tell me you're..." Angel's eyes widened, looking between her and Mickey. In her mind, Rose was _far_ too young for a baby. But then again, she was nearly 800 years old and not yet a mother so…she couldn't really judge could she?

"No!" Mickey laughed, "No. It's Jackie."

Rose nodded, the Time Lords looking relieved, "She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"And what about you?" Angel looked at them, "Are you..."

"Yeah, I'm…I'm back working in the shop."

"Oh, good for you," the Doctor nodded.

Rose laughed, "Shut up. No, I'm not."

"There's um, still a Torchwood on this planet," Mickey explained, "It's open for business."

Rose teared up, "I think Mickey and I know a thing or two about aliens."

"Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith," Angel looked at them both so proudly as did the Doctor, "Defenders of the Earth."

The Doctor swallowed hard, "You're dead Rose, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead."

Rose started to cry, Mickey moving his arm around her, trying to offer her the comfort he knew Angel was dying to give judging by her expression.

"But here you both are," Angel smiled, taking the Doctor's hand as they looked on at Mickey as he held her.

"Living a life day after day. The one adventure we can never have."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Rose sobbed now, not willing to waste more time on small talk.

Mickey swallowed hard, "Please..." he whispered.

It had hit him only AFTER they'd disappeared in the TARDIS, that he'd never see his pilot again. And it hurt, more than he thought it would, to know he'd never be able to laugh or joke or talk with Angel again. He truly didn't want it to happen again, so permanently.

"You can't," Angel said quietly, so, _so_ sad.

"What're you gonna do?" Rose sniffled, clinging to Mickey, needing his strength to keep standing as she felt her world crumbling around her. She was about to lose her best friend, her sister, and there was nothing she could do to stop it, it had already happened.

"Oh, we've got the TARDIS," the Doctor tried to shrug it off, "Same old life. Last of the Time Lords."

"On your own?" her voice cracked again. They nodded silently, still watching her with compassion as Rose looked at them, tears falling down her face much like Angel's were, Mickey trying his hardest to blink back his tears, not wanting to cause the woman any more pain at seeing them so upset over this, "I'm…" she choked up.

"Just breathe," Mickey murmured, hugging her tightly to the side.

Rose nodded, taking a moment to regain her composure, "I'm gonna _miss_ you," she let out a shuddering sob and put a hand to her face, " _So much_!"

"Me too," Mickey said, quickly reaching up to brush the back of his hand beneath his eyes, keeping a tear from escaping, needing to be strong for Rose, like the Doctor was being for Angel.

Angel reached out as though she wanted to comfort them but flinched back realizing, heartbrokenly, that she _couldn't_.

"Quite right, too," the Doctor said quietly.

"You're my best friend," Rose sobbed, looking at the Doctor, before turning to Angel, "And my sister!"

"We're gonna miss you too Rose," Angel said as Rose looked up, trying to smile at them, "And you Mickey. The both of you."

"So, _so_ much," the Doctor agreed, "Even you Mickey," he added with a little joke, but both men knew he really _was_ going to miss him as well.

"Doctor…" Angel breathed, her eyes wide, "We've got _seconds_ now."

Rose bit back a sob, Mickey stiffening, as the Doctor turned back to them, "I suppose this is it," he tried to laugh, though the tears in his eyes said different, "Goodbye, Rose Tyler."

"Goodbye Mickey," Angel sniffled.

"Bye Angel," Mickey breathed, his jaw tensing as he fought off his tears, keeping them back by sheer willpower.

"Goodbye," Rose barely managed to get out through her tears, a second before they disappeared off the beach.

Rose screwed up her face in pain, sobbing into her hands, Mickey turning her in his arms to hug her tightly as she buried her face in his chest, knowing he was finally allowing his tears to fall as well.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel looked down a moment as they stood in the TARDIS again, their eyes filled with tears. Angel looked over at the Doctor, seeing a tear falling down his face as he tried not to cry. She quickly reached out and pulled him to her, the two just hugging as they cried to one another. They had said goodbye to Mickey once before, and it hurt, it _still_ hurt. And Rose...Rose had become such an important part of their lives, they were truly losing one of their best friends, their family.

~8~

Jackie rushed forward, throwing her arms around Rose and Mickey, hugging them tightly as Rose turned to clutch at her too, letting them cry.

~8~

The Doctor pulled back from Angel, rubbing his hand over his eyes, wiping the tears away. He looked down at her, cupping her face in his hands as he used his thumbs to do the same to her tears. She leaned forward and rested her head to his a moment, both of them closing their eyes. A moment later, the Doctor took a deep breath and they turned to the console, just pushing buttons and levers, needing to get away from the supernova, needing distance, needing _time_...

The Doctor glanced up at Angel, only to see something behind her, "What?" he gasped, surprised.

Angel turned around to see a woman dressed in a wedding gown standing there, her red hair visible through her veil. The woman turned around as well, yelping in surprise.

"What?!"

"Who are you?" the woman asked, looking at them disdainfully.

Angel glanced at the TARDIS, "But…"

"Where am I?"

"What?!" the Doctor shook his head.

"What the hell is this place?"

"WHAT?!"

To be continued...in...Hearts to Hearts!

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Series 2 is over! I cannot believe it! Now we get Series 3, Hearts to Hearts next Sunday! If you recall the three stages of Mating, you can probably guess just how...emotional...Series 3 will be -hint hint- :)
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter, I really wanted to bring Mickey into the whole goodbye scene, not just as support for Rose, but because he WAS a companion too and his pilot was there. Angel always made sure to include him in everything, that wasn't going to stop now. And...the Doctor actually GOT to say goodbye this time. I know in the original episode he was probably going to say 'I love you' back to Rose, but got cut off. Him saying goodbye even got cut off in my Reunion story as well. So here, I really wanted him to be able to say it, to give Rose the closure that Sarah Jane never got. And with Angel being so sensitive to time, she'd know when they were running short on it and warn him, giving him JUST enough time to say it :)
> 
> You'll probably notice a progression starting to form between my different OCs (for those who have read all 3 series). The Professor sees the companions as companions while Evy sees them as friends (very close friends). Here, Angel will take that farther. Each and every companion will become someone incredibly important to her, either as a best friend or like a sibling, we'll just have to wait and see who's who :)
> 
> I just wanted to say...thank you...to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed/etc this story. I cannot tell you how much it means to me that people like the story and the character I've created. I will do my very best to keep it up. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.


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